Singapore is in the grip of a second wave, with cases poised to hit at least 1,000 per day. And this is from less than 10 a day less than a month back. And it seems that it will take another month or two for this to go through the community and for cases to subside. It was also reported that  in the last four weeks, more than 98% of local cases were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms. The ministry of health also said that as of last Thursday, 82% of the population has completed their full vaccination regimen, while 84% has received at least one dose as of Thursday. I guess we should be careful, mask up and use soap and hand sanitisers as much as possible and even more so when we have the elderly and the vulnerable living with us or near us.

Today’s positive quote, or rather again an affirmation comes to us courtesy of Michelle Obama. It’s again a very simple one. All we need to do is ask ourselves, Am I good enough? And give ourselves the answer in a very resounding voice, that Yes I am! As Dory told us all in Finding Nemo, in the face of adversity, to just keep swimming.

BB & GG turned 18 last week and though celebrations were very low key, they did meet friends and some came over to wish them. BB got a professional mic set with headphones from his school friends while GG’s friends got her clothes. GG also got her results the day after their birthday, but the results were as expected and she has more or less mainted her GPA. She is also very busy preparing for the first of the many professional exams she will have to take for her career and that has been pretty much all she has done in the holidays. BB’s results will come next week and we are all on tenterhooks for that. He has not done well in the first two semesters, so this one is a crucial one, especially if he wants to go to university after his National Service. More on that next week.

That’s all from me. Stay safe everyone!

I’ve been in a kind of funk state all week. And this meant I was barely productive. When I think back, I know it’s because of the surge of cases here in Singapore. From single digit cases a month or so back to more than 500 cases per day this week, it looks like we are all going back to last year. Cases are doubling every two weeks and it looks like the Delta variant will be more lethal than the original variant. The government is predicting that we will hit 2,000 cases daily by the end of the month and that’s more than the peak last year. And last year, it was mostly confined to the worker dormitories, but this time it’sin the community. Every time I step outside, I wonder if that day will be the day I get infected. And what’s worse is that with more than 80% of the population fully vaccinated, I am sure a major chunk of the newly infected are those who are fully vaccinated. And so fatalistically I just want this to get over with. If I am to be infected, and the way things are going, I will be infected sooner or later, I’d just rather it be sooner so we can get on with our lives. Am I making sense? I really don’t know and don’t think so, but that’s the kind of mood I have been in.

This week an article from a UK bedding manufacturer, Sleepseeker came out which reported that Singapore is the most fatigued country in the world. And that’s not surprising, given that from the minute we wake to the minute we lay our heads down in bed, we have to be hyper-connected, hyper-updated and on hyper alert, especially with the pandemic situation. Singapore has outdone traditionally overworked countries like China and Japan, the only other Asian countries in the list. Singapore has worked the second most number of hours on average, only behind Mexico and the country with the third-most time spent on the internet daily, behind Brazil and Mexico.

The children are in their holidays and their results should come sometime next week. They also turn 18 next week, which in many countries would make them legal adults, but they have a few years more to go to become a legal adult in Singapore.

Today’s positivity quote is from Louise Hay. It’s a very simple one, more of an affirmation, rather than a quote. All you need to tell yourself that you are in the right place, at the right time and doing the right thing and things will begin to fall in place. Maybe this quote resonated with me as I really need this affirmation right now.

At the end of August, I have walked 2000 km, which brings me to spitting distance of the border of Myanmar. I plan that in the next four months, I will walk the 1400 odd km and reach the border of India and the goal in 2022 will be to walk all through the country to reach my home in Mumbai.

My reading this month has been quite steady and I have read 85% of my reading target, so it looks like this year I will easily exceed my targets.

BB & GG are in their school holidays and while GG is busying studying for the first of many professional exams which will take place in about six weeks, BB is enjoying his free time.

Singapore has seen an upsurge of infections, and so it’s a little frustrating that even after more than 80% of the population is fully vaccinated, cases have not gone down daily. But with 80% of the population vaccinated and still cases happening, it looks like the virus is endemic in Singapore and sooner or later we will probably get it. It’s a fatalistic attitude and I am sure it’s not the right one, but I am tired. Ah well, that’s my venting done for the day. Singapore will also start booster shots for senior citizens and those who are immunocompromised later this month. This means sooner or later, we will also get the booster shot which should help with more virulent strains.

Today’s quote comes from Aristotle who tells us what should be very obvious to us, but we don’t see. According to Aristotle, happiness is something that comes from within and should not be directly proportionate to the amount of money one has or what one is willing to splurge on.

That’s all for this week. Stay safe people!

Today’s quote is such a positive one that I wanted to start this post with it. When it means is that when one is positive and radiates positivity, people are attracted to this positivity and want to be near you. When we think about this, with our family, friends and colleagues, are we not attracted to and want to be with those who smile and are generally sunny people? Nobody wants to be near a moody person, someone who is a grouch and so when we do that, we attract people around us. Why don’t we try this?

BB & GG had exams this week and while GG has finished hers, and this semester, BB has one more to go on Monday, after which he too will start his holidays. Next semester will be the fourth one and GG already received news that she will be on her internship next year. I am hoping she gets an internship where she will learn and grow as a person and this internship will help her in the next stage of her education.

In Singapore, this month there have been so many deaths, especially of the elderly. Almost every week, we hear of deaths of the elderly, especially those who have not yet been vaccinated or not completed the vaccination regimen. 54 deaths have been reported in total as of yesterday, with 14 deaths in this month alone. 79% of the population has been fully vaccinated and we hope that the the critical mass that is needed to open up the country will come soon. We have to live with this virus forever it seems to look like, but there is hope for us. While COVID-19 will stay with us and within us forever, when enough people have gained some immunity through either vaccination or infection, the coronavirus will transition to what epidemiologists call endemic. It won’t be eliminated, but it won’t upend our lives anymore. It may become common like the common cold and influenza, which are part of the same family of viruses and are something we have learnt to live with. We may need to take booster shots at least for some years, just like we do for the flu and when we travel to certain countries, these shots may be mandatory, like we do today, but it will become a part of our lives.

That’s all from me this week. Stay safe and if you are still not vaccinated and don’t have any impediment to get vaccinated, please do that and stay safe and keep your family and loved ones also safe.

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!