I was in a room filled with people I have not met. People sitting down and chin-wagging away. All of a sudden, someone in the room screamed, “super spreader!” Everyone seemed to be making haste touching or tagging one another. I was about to scurry when I felt a sudden nudge on my shoulder. I looked around and saw my other half tossing and turning.
Geez… it was just a dream! Lol!
I don’t usually dream. When I did, I would not remember the details. Strange, but true, that dream appeared palpable. I so wanted to know the ending. I wanted to know if I was being tagged. Sadly, I will never know the ending, however, I would only imagine that I would be tagged, like everyone else in “that room”…
The dream I dreamt reminds me of the “O” variant that is surging in every nook and cranny of the globe of late. According to Health Analysts and Scientists, the Omicron virus is, undeniably, the most contagious variant there is, and is displacing the Delta variant at a rapid rate. Eventually, everyone would get the virus. Good news? We’re hopeful for a herd immunity. What then? Only God knows…
The world has been in intermittent and countless lockdowns and restrictions since March 2020. Then, we were hoping for a better 2021. Today, we’re hopeful for a recovering 2022 because so much has been “damaged” in the past 21 months or so.
In retrospect (pre-Covid days) I had secretly wished to work more days from home (due predominantly to the insane traffics on work week). Well it seems my wish was granted almost instantaneously. Is it a boon or a bane? 🤷🏻♀️
And so the story goes … working from home continues to be the norm for me for the past 657 days with probably a few days in the office for IT issues with my laptop and other ad hoc meetings where it was not possible to engage via Skype, Zoom or Team meetings.
Likewise, online classes are the new doodahs for both students and teachers. Some kids made it, some not. My younger son almost did not make it. A few times he’d come to me and say, “Mama, I can’t go through this any longer…” He was on the verge of quitting his Bachelor’s program. A heart to heart talk is good to ease the pain. Human beings need corporeal touch as opposed to any intangibles. I’m glad to report that he has one more semester to go for his internship before he graduates with his Bachelor degree next Summer. All the very best to you, son ❤️
Hair today, gone tomorrow
With the initial hard lockdowns, all non-essential shops were forbidden to operate. Hair salons were one of them.
It was 4 months since my last visit to my hairdresser’s in September 2020. I had never had a ‘mop’ dangling on my head that long. Each time I looked in the mirror, I saw BJ’s wildest tresses. Totally unkempt! 😂
Time for a hair-xit! Armed with a simple pair of scissors and a comb I snipped my unsightly mane in the bathroom in the very first month of 2021, a reminder to forget the past year and march forward to a new beginning…
Mercury (Up)rising
While there was no White Christmas, we experienced snow-capped sceneries in most parts of Europe in February. Almost all of Belgium was covered with white blankets of snowflakes on 8th February, 2021. Without a doubt, it was a lovely sight.
Two weeks later, on 21st February, the mercury soared to an exceptional high at 17.9 deg C, shattering the old record set in 1949 at 14.6 deg C!
Spring came and who would have thought the 1992 song, “Four Seasons in One Day” by Crowded House would really happen in reality? From strong winds gushing over our rooftops in the wee hours of the morning to blazing sunny day to raining and hailing and back to raining and sunning and …yup, snowing in April!
All in one day!
The weather is becoming more human with its many insane moods of emotional roller coaster rides.
As if the pandemic’s not enough, could this be another sign of times?
My Covid Bubble(s)
Social distancing bubbles can help one stay safe and sane by seeing other Homo sapiens in person. As they say, “No man is an island”. So true. It’s lovely catching up with friends tête-à-tête while abiding to the C-19 protocol.
Vaxxed
So I’ve made it, like billions (?) of others on this planet. Yup, I am vaccinated with the 2 doses in June and July.
My booster awaits me in Jan 2022 😊
I guess we have no choice because the jabs (Corona pass) is our passport to eating out in restaurants, travelling, entering theme parks, visiting museums, etc.
Summer Household
The Summer holidays this year was unlike other years. We invited my husband’s siblings and spouses (no kids). There were 7 of us. When I told my friends about it, they were surprised that I would go ahead with such ‘crowded’ vacation driving some 1,000 km away to the South of France. I was surprised with my decision too, but all turned out excellent in the end.
It was lovely to hear stories from my husband and his siblings reminiscing the good old days and actually watching them re-enacting games and sports they played when they were growing up. It was especially amusing watching them squabbling like little kids and wanting to win in every game they played. Ha ha …
In Loving Memory
I woke up in the morning of 22nd September with utter disbelief reading the saddest news ever.
Dearest Sylvia, you may be gone from our sight, but never from our hearts. Happy times and wonderful memories will live on forever. I’m glad I’ve been a part of your life and you, me. Farewell dearest Sylvia. May your soul rest in eternal peace 🙏
Dearest Sylvia, you have taught me to cherish every moment and every person in my life, because you will never know when it will be the last time we see someone.
Oh by the way, thanks for the free hugs 🤗
MABL Meet & Greet
After a period of silence succumbed by the C-word, the thirst to come back was enormous. MABL members and friends welcomed the 14th Ambassador of Malaysia to Belgium. A renewed chapter is revived. I, for one, was glad to meet up with many new and old faces. There are friends, there is family and then there are friends that become family.
Malaysia Boleh!
30th October 2021 will remain a memorable day for all Malaysians in Belgium. We celebrated Malaysia’s 64th birthday at “Rumah Malaysia” as well as rejoicing to the stellar win of a rising badminton star, Ng Tze Yong. He won the gold medal in the final Yonex Badminton Belgian International Men’s Singles at the Sportaose in Leuven.
Congratulations for the double celebrations. Malaysia memang Boleh!
The New Variant
The days are getting shorter with nights getting longer. This only signals that winter is in the air. A new variant was also detected in November with surging cases of the Omicron slowly displacing the Delta discovered a year ago.
Imagine this: Delta is the 4th letter in the Greek alphabet and Omicron is the 15th letter. There are 9 more letters to go. Will Omicron be the last variant? Will the next virus be “pi”? This comes to mind about Yann Martel’s novel “Life of Pi”, a story about struggling to survive through seemingly insurmountable odds (the virus?). The survival period is 227 days. Hmmm 🤔
Whatever the future holds, no one knows. The crystal ball is always not very clear. What tomorrow holds for me is the plan I made today and for me to finish what I have started, because life is a circle. By the way, the end of one journey is the beginning of the next 😉
Here’s to another year of making memories. New year, new start. May all your dreams come true. Happy New Year!
Cheers to good health and positivity in 2022🥂
God bless
By the way ... 