Today’s quote is from the venerable Dalai Lama. According to his holiness, happiness is not something readymade but comes from our actions. What this means is that happiness comes from within and only we can control your happiness. We decide to be happy or sad in our own life, body and mind. Outside factors and other people can affect our happiness, but we need to go through grief and sadness to appreciate the good things in life. To be happy in life, we need to show gratitude and appreciate everything we have, instead of complaining about what we do not have.

There has been a surge of COVID cases, both in Singapore and India. While we all know that the virus is here to stay and we are now in the endemic stage, this new surge is worrying. There is a new covid wave in Singapore, with the estimated number of daily infections rising from about 1,400 a month ago to 4,000 last week with about 30% being reinfections, higher than the 20 to 25% seen during the last wave. While the number of infections is climbing, there is no evidence that the current strains cause more severe illnesses. Hospitalisation of patients is also below what was seen during the last wave as was intensive care admissions.

Over in India, the country recorded 11,109 fresh cases on Friday. The daily covid cases are the highest in 236 days, according to data from the Union health ministry. This surge is driven by the new XBB.1.16 variant, dubbed Arcturus. The spread of the strain, first detected in late January, is worrying experts, as it seems to exhibit unique symptoms in children, one of which is conjunctivitis. The Arcturus XBB.1.16 variant is a recombinant of two sub-variants of BA.2, and a preprint study from scientists at the University of Tokyo suggested that it spreads about 1.17 to 1.27 times more efficiently than its relatives XBB.1 and XBB.1.5. It appears to be resistant to antibodies from other Covid variants, which has raised concerns about its potential to evade immunity gained from previous infections or vaccinations. The XBB.1.16 strain, a sub-variant of Omicron, has been classified as a variant of interest by the WHO.

So, if you haven’t already done so, please take steps to protect yourselves and your loved ones. Stay safe and see you next week!

This was the Good Friday weekend and was an extremely relaxing one. Before coming to Singapore, my father wanted me to make some special meals for him and I have been trying to make at least one every week for him. This weekend was also both cloudy and sunny and so we alternatively switched on the air conditioning or switched off the fans.

Both GG & BB finally got information about their graduations and both will take place in early May. Unfortunately, both only can invite two people to attend the graduation, so only S and I will be able to make it.

Albert Einstein, widely acknowledged as the greatest and most influential theoretical physicist of all time, once said The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. What this means is that storing knowledge and learning facts and formulae is not enough, but the motive of life is to think beyond the imagination. This is what differentiates the truly intelligent from the masses.

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

April is here and the first quarter of 2023 is over! How were the first three months of the year for you all?

I spent the first two weeks of March in Bengaluru and so barely did much walking. The second half of the month was spent with my parents in Singapore, so again, all I did was the bare minimum. As of the end of March, I am still in Maharashtra and am less than 400 km from my Mumbai home.

I didn’t read much this month, only finishing four books, so I am a little behind in my annual reading challenge. So one goal in April is to make sure I read and read more.

Today’s quote is from Swami Brahmanada, the first President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. According to Swamiji, the mind is susceptible to suggestions and so it learns whatever you teach it. What this means is that what we want to do and achieve, all we need to do is keep suggesting the idea to the mind and it will achieve it by itself. This is very similar to the law of attraction where one needs to keep reinforcing an idea for the universe to make it happen.

That is all from me this week. BB and GG are on holiday and GG is waiting to hear back from universities about her applications. Every day we check the admission portal for any news. Please send positive vibes to her.

Take care and stay safe!

Today’s quote is from the American talk show host, Oprah Winfrey, who tells us that we get in life what we dare to ask for. What this means is that if we don’t ask, we don’t get what we want, need and deserve. And so we need to ask to receive and what’s the worst that could happen, they say no. Plucking up the courage to ask for what you need and want will pay off hugely.

GG had two admission interviews this week, but there is still no news from her first-choice university. I’m praying hard that she gets a callback from them soon. BB is still waiting for his enlistment letter after which we will know when he will start his national service.

My parents have more or less settled down in Singapore and are adjusting to life here. After arriving in Singapore, they were given a one-month visa, so we need to renew the visa so that they can stay here for the scheduled two months. We are planning to take them to some of the new places they have not yet seen, but that is for another day.

That’s all for today, stay safe people and have a wonderful week!

Hello again from Bangalore! We are still here in the south Indian city of Bengaluru where my parents have moved to a retirement community and the children are having a great time here. We are also doing a bit of sightseeing which I will share in due course.

Today’s quote is attributed to the Chinese philosopher, Confucius who lived between 551 and 479 BCE. He is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages and his teachings and philosophy underpin East Asian culture and society, remaining influential across China and East Asia to this day. According to Confucius, we all have two lives with the second one starting when we realise we only have one life. This means that when we understand that we only live once, we can become free and start living. When we realise that the only thing holding us back is everyone’s expectations and measurements, that is when our one and true life starts.

The traffic in Bengaluru is horrendous, and as someone who has travelled to cities like Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta, I can safely say, Baengaluru can compete with them for the title of one of the worst traffic cities in Asia. And the best part is because the place where my parents live is so far from the city, going anywhere means sitting in the car for a minimum of an hour or more. But Bangalore has always been close to my heart and so I can forgive all the traffic. Being here has brought back so many memories of spending time with my paternal grandparents and going out with family and friends. Last week, at a coffee shop, I overheard some girls speaking and that typical Bengaluru accent brought such a smile to my face, BB and GG had to ask my why. It reminded me of being with friends in the city when we used to come here for our summer holidays and those uncomplicated days are always nostalgia inducing.

We are also back from a hectic trip to visit the Lord of the Seven Hills – Balaji in Tiruapati plus a couple of other temples and we were so tired from the hours of sitting in a car, that we took the day after we returned back to Bangalore as a day of rest.

Our trip is almost at an end and it’s been fun connecting with BB & GG and just being with them without the pressures of school and other distractions. The next update will be when we are back in Singapore.