Today’s quote comes to us from Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian freedom fighter who led India’s freedom struggle from British colonial rule using non violence. Also known as India’s Father of the Nation, his birth anniversary is a federal holiday in the country. According to Gandhi, we have to be the change that we wish to see in the world. What this quote means we should not complain about what others are doing and should fight for what the believe in. This means we should look inside ourselves first before we try to change the habits and characteristics of others.

Last week, I read a news article about Shanghai in China creating the world’s first inhalable COVID vaccine. The vaccine, produced by Chinese pharmaceutical firm CanSino Biologics, is for use as a booster. The vaccine is inhaled via the mouth from a vessel that looks like a take-out coffee cup with a short mouthpiece. The advent of inhaled vaccines is important not only because of their potential to guard against infection but also because they could lessen vaccine hesitancy.

It’s the end of another month and time for my walking updates. For some reason, I’ve not been walking as much as I would like, but this month, I am continuing to walk in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Currently, on the Purvanchal Expressway, I am about 15 km east of the state’s capital, Lucknow. I am about 400 km from the next state which will be Madhya Pradesh.

I had a low reading month because of Diwali and the varied preparations I was busy with, so that’s something I need to rectify this month. Hopefully, I will be able to give a better report next month.

Earlier this week Singapore’s Ministry of Health officially launched a new research programme that aims to build up Singapore’s preparedness and response capabilities for future pandemics. The Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness and Response’s (PREPARE) immediate task will be to work closely with MOH to develop a national epidemic research and development plan. This dedicated research programme will help to bring together multi-disciplinary experts throughout the pandemic research ecosystem in a coordinated fashion and will also further strengthen Singapore’s existing capabilities by forming research networks as well as developing necessary tools, methods, and products to respond to future infectious disease outbreak threats. Internationally, the new programme will strengthen research partnerships, share information and knowledge, and collaborate in clinical trials with various institutions in the region.

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

This week’s quote from Walter Whitman, the American poet, essayist and journalist tells us to always keep our faces towards the sunshine and shadows will fall behind. What this means is that when things are bad, we tend to go into despair and feel that our world is ending. At this point, our future looks grim and we don’t see a way out. In such a case, we can continue to wallow in our misery and see life as a dead-end or we can turn our face and life towards the light and let the shadows of the past fall behind us with a sense of optimism and positivity, look at the glass as half full as opposed to being half empty.

In the last week, Singapore reported about 50,000 cases of COVID-19 and also confirmed four cases of the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 Omicron subvariants, all of which were imported. First detected in Nigeria in July, the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants are sub-lineages of the Omicron variant BA.5. The strains have since been detected in more than 50 countries. I am waiting for when I can become eligible to get the new Bivalent Moderna Spikevax Vaccine as a booster shot and hopefully can get it by the end of the year or early next year.

BB & GG are busy with their lives and school and there are days when I barely see them. We are all tense about GG’s university application and I keep praying that she gets into the university of her choice.

That’s all from my side this week. Take care and talk soon!

Tomorrow is India’s biggest festival – the festival of lights or Deepavali or Diwali. Here’s wishing everyone who celebrates the festival a very Happy Diwali. May the lights brighten your lives and bring you happiness and prosperity.

I have been struggling to remain positive this week. An opportunity I was sure was mine did not come to me and all my old feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt came crowding and I struggled to find something positive each day. I know that the universe has something special planned for me, but when one only keeps getting rejection after rejection, it is hard to maintain an optimistic outlook. And then I came across this quote which resonated with me.

This quote from Jonathan Lockwood Huie, also known as the Philosopher of Happiness, reminds us to keep the faith and remain positive. When we are in pain and are riddled with self-doubt, it is easy to focus on the negatives and lose sight of the hope that is waiting for us just above the horizon. Difficulties may be overwhelming, but we should always remember that the darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow.

There’s an upsurge of COVID-19 cases in Singapore mainly because of the XBB strain. In the last seven days, there was an average of about 7,600 cases on a seven-day moving average with one death and a 0.99 infection ratio. Over the last 28 days, 160,070 people were infected and 99.8% of them had no or mild symptoms. As of 20 October, under the National Vaccination Programme, 92% of the total population received at least one dose. 95% of the eligible population and 92% of the total population completed the full regimen and 79% of the total population have received booster shots. As of 21 Oct 2022, Singapore has had a total of slightly above two million cases and 1,660 deaths in total.

That’s all for today. Have a wonderful Diwali

Singapore has been seeing an upsurge in COVID cases, with the reinfection rate climbing due to the XBB Omicron subvariant. Since the end of September, the number of new locally transmitted cases has hovered around 3,000 to 4,000 a day. But on October 11, new local infections spiked to 11,399, the highest in almost three months, sparking concern. The weekly infection ratio also increased to 1.74 as of Oct 10. There is a fear of a new wave here and this is especially worrying because mask mandates are off except for in medical settings and in the public transport system.

Today’s quote is from someone famous throughout the planet – Oprah Winfrey. She reminds us that the more we praise and celebrate our life, the more there is in life to celebrate. This is a good example of being positive and seeing a glass as half full as opposed to it being half empty. When we start to focus on the good things in our life and start and end each day with gratitude, we will be grateful and happy. Conversely, when we start and end each day with negative thoughts and negativity, we become resentful, angry and sad at life which in turn becomes a neverending loop of negative energy in our lives.

And that’s all from me this week. Please do not become complacent and remain safe wherever you are.

Now that Navaratri has ended, it’s time to start thinking about one of India’s biggest festivals – the festival of lights aka Diwali or Deepavali. I usually tend to go big for this festival with the making of sweets and savouries and so I now need to put on my thinking hat and work out what my menu for this year’s Diwali will be.

Today’s quote does not have a known author but is beautiful in its simplicity. What we are waiting and hoping for will come at unexpected moments. This means that we should not wait for something, when the time is right, the universe knows it and sends what we are waiting for at just the right time.

BB is enjoying his project work and GG is all set for school which will resume very soon. She is also busy working on her university applications and her personal and purpose statements. I hope she gets admission to the university and course of her choice.

But amid all the festivities, according to some of the world’s top business leaders and economic minds, a recession is forthcoming. Central banks around the world have aggressively hiked interest rates in recent months trying to slow down sky-high inflation. While these policies are intended to cool down the economy, they also elevate the risk of a recession. On Tuesday, the United Nations warned of an impending global slowdown that may likely be worse than the financial crisis in 2008 and the COVID-19 shock in 2020. The world’s largest economies, including Europe, China and the United States, were now slowing down, which was dampening demand for exports from emerging and developing countries, already hit hard by high food and energy prices.

So let’s all hunker down and prepare for the world’s recession that is imminent soon and stay safe and happy. See you next week!