I am back from a very hectic trip to India where I had gone to drop my parents back in Bangalore. While there, I also made a whistle-stop trip to Mumbai. I was in Mumbai for just seven hours and that trip, a day before I flew back home to Singapore really took a toll on me. I needed two days once back home to just recover and get back to normal! But here’s a beautiful ariel shot of Mumbai for your viewing pleasure.
Today’s quote is from the American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her decades-long career in country music, Dolly Parton. I found this quote resonated with me, so thought to share it with you all too. Parton says that only after adversity is faced, will one achieve success. Simple, succinct, and so true, right?
The children have been busy with GG gaining an internship opportunity recently. She will start work next week and will work until school begins. She didn’t get her dream school, but hopefully, the school she has enrolled in will give her the opportunities she needs to succeed.
That’s all from me this week. Take care and stay safe!
Namaskaras from Bengaluru! We arrived yesterday and I am here to drop my parents off after two months spent in Singapore. This will be a very short trip because I need to get back to Singapore soon as R, my helper is also going on a pilgrimage to Malaysia later in the week.
Today’s quote comes to us from American self-help author, best known for his book, Think and Grow Rich. According to Hill, any dream will not become a reality without taking any action. And when action is taken, it needs to be done in a structured and logical way so that the goal can be achieved. However, without setting timeframes or deadlines for these priorities, dreams run the risk of being ignored, and the dream remains just that.
Most of us have recovered, though my throat is still a bit scratchy. This flu swept through the household and there was not a single person who was spared.
That’s all from me this week. Stay safe people and stay blessed!
Today’s quote is from Christian D. Larson, an American New Thought leader and teacher, as well as a prolific author of metaphysical and New Thought books. According to Larson, believing in oneself means having faith in their capabilities. It means believing that one can do something — that it is within their ability. When one believes in themself, they can overcome self-doubt and have the confidence to take action and get things done. When one is drowning in fears, doubts, and self-sabotaging behaviours, success feels out of their grasp and all of the skills, training, and tools in the world won’t change their life.
While walking, I am still in my home state of Maharashtra and have just crossed the city of Aurangabad. I am still about 180 km short of my home in Mumbai and can’t wait to reach there! I only read three books this month, so I need to start consciously reading more.
This week we attended both GG & BB’s polytechnic graduation ceremonies and I can’t believe my babies are so grown up. Next, its university for GG and national service for BB which will be new experiences for both.
And one by one, everyone has been falling sick in my home. It started with S, then my father and then me and my mum. The children have not yet gotten the flu that’s spread in our home so send us positive energies if you can.
Singapore has been so hot all this month, and because of the humidity levels, even though the temperature showed 32 degrees, it felt like 40 degrees Celcius. And this is not just restricted to Singapore, starting in April 2023, a record-breaking heat wave has affected many Asian countries, including India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand and Vietnam with several regional temperature records being set. Temperatures so searing in places that people are frying eggs under the heat of the noonday sun with meteorologists tracking temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celcius in India, Thailand and Myanmar, and 42 to 43 degrees Celcius in Bangladesh, Laos, Vietnam, Nepal and China. These are temperatures that most of these countries have not experienced in decades. People are dying of heatstroke as they gather in thick, large crowds under the sun, and students are landing in hospitals as their schools bake in the heat. Power grids are stretched beyond their capacities, and farmers are looking at failed harvests. According to climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera, the continent is experiencing the worst April heatwave in its history and warned that it will only get worse. This is what climate change is capable of for all those still denying the fact.
Today’s quote is from the creator of a beloved comic strip, Calvin and Hobbs, Bill Watterson. According to Watterson, we are so busy watching out for what is in the future, that we don’t stop and smell the roses and enjoy today. What this means is that we should not let go of what is in front of us today for the chance that the future will be something better.
And speaking of better, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that Covid-19 deaths had dropped by 95% since the start of 2023, but warned that the virus was still on the move. Countries would need to learn how to manage its ongoing non-emergency effects, including the post-infection condition known as long Covid. Some countries are seeing increases, and over the past four weeks, 14,000 people lost their lives to this disease. With the emergence of the new XBB.1.16 variant, the virus is still changing, and is still capable of causing new waves of disease and death. So there’s still a need to be vigilant and stay safe.
And on that note, stay safe everyone and stay blessed!
To all those celebrating, here’s wishing you Eid Mubarak! May the day be filled with love, peace, and harmony and you and your family be blessed always. Selamat Hari Raya!
Life moves on as usual. BB & GG will have their poly graduation ceremonies soon and then it’s off to university for GG and to NS for BB. GG has gotten two offers as of today and is considering them, but she is still waiting for news from her first-choice university. It’s the waiting that is bad. At least if you have a decision either way, you can go on with your life. And if she gets a clear rejection from her first choice university, she can decide on the other two offers she has. It’s the same with BB. Now that Poly is over, we are waiting for the letter from the ministry letting him know when he will have to enlist for national service. Until then, his life is also paused. He can’t look for jobs because companies are not going to hire someone who will stop working soon and he can’t enrol into any course because of the same reason. Ah well, though he is enjoying this break, I can’t say the same about the rest of us.
Today’s quote is credited to Charles R. Swindoll, an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He says that Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. What this means is that what happens is less important than our reaction to it. Reactions drive action and action defines the outcome, so ultimately our reaction is everything. No matter whether we succeed or fail, our reaction to both is what defines us. At the end of the day, we’re driven by our minds. How we perceive things determines our reactions to them. Ultimately, no one or nothing can make you happy or unhappy; it all depends on how we react. We are ultimately responsible for our reactions and actions. The way we feel and perceive things determines everything. Remember that nothing external can make you happy or sad unless you decide to do so yourself.
That’s all from me this week. Take care and stay safe, we are not out of the woods yet.
Memories and Such 