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!

Another month has passed by and we are in the fag end of 2020! This year has been strange for everyone and I for one will be glad to see the end of this year. Maybe 2021 will bring the world a beacon of hope and joy?

Singapore has been seeing single digit COVD cases for the past few weeks with none to a couple of cases in the community and dormitories. The bulk of the cases are imported and are coming from travellers entering Singapore, either as visitors or as residents returning home. So there is some hope there.

On the other hand, Europe has been seeing a new wave and I am now worried that India will experience one soon. Last week, someone in S’ extended family had a wedding in India which was streamed live for those unable to make it. We were surprised to see that firstly people are having weddings at this time when things are so unsettled. Secondly, most people were not maintaining social distancing and not wearing masks while inside the hall. To give them credit where due, there were not too many people in the wedding hall, maybe around 50-60 maximum, and those that were there may be close family to the bride and groom. But I saw so many in the audience not wearing masks and sitting so close to each other that I was wondering if they were not worried about getting sick. There’s another wedding coming up in the new year, this time in Singapore and we can’t avoid this one because not only is it within the close family, but also because it is here and we can make it. But I am hoping that because the situation in Singapore is better and the protocols more strictly followed, not only will we mandated to wear masks, but we also will be sitting in a socially distanced manner.

Ah well, we can only hope that people get sensible soon and things can get back to normal. If not, then governments should start fining them if that’s what it will take. I read recently that in Mumbai, people who don’t wear masks will be fined Rs 200 and if they don’t have the money to pay or can’t pay, they will have to sweep the streets for a specified amount of time. I really like this idea and hope its not a flash in the pan and people realise that they can make a difference just by being safe and wearing a mask and staying socially distant when outside.

Stay safe folks!

This week is the week of the Navratri festivities and we are all doing it online. When I last spoke to my mother, she was lamenting that for the first time that she can remember, she is not able to go to the temple for the festival. Usually, during the ten days of Navratri and Dusshera, she will quickly do her chores at home and go to the temple to witness the prayers and also partake the lunch usually served there. This was especially true when my sister and I grew up and were out of the home pretty much the whole day.

School has started for both and though GG only has one tutorial for which she needs to go to school, BB has to go to school for all his subjects. He did quite badly last semester and so he has a lot of catching up to do since the polytechnics here work on a cumulative grade point average system and so he has to do extremely well in the remaining semesters to even have a chance to attend university after national service. Speaking of which, he got his national service notification this week via mail and we need to log into the system to defer him for the next two and a half years since he is still studying fulltime. GG has done relatively well and needs to keep up with her grades in the next five semesters to go on to university since her course which is a business course is highly competitive and usually has a high entry cut of point.

Other than that, we’re all surviving living at home and being in each others faces almost all the time. I am becoming a bit stir crazy especially since the holiday season is coming up and we can travel anywhere, not even to Malaysia. So I have been planning road trips for when we can actually go which helps a bit.

That’s all from us this week. Stay home, stay safe and most importantly stay masked when you are out of your home!