Offbeat October

It has been a very different October for me.  Possibly life changing too - I'll get to that later.  It has been a very interesting month and a lot transpired, I'm not sure how I should start.  How about with a nice cup of hazelnut latte from Baker & Cook Dempsey?

One of The Family's Favourite Bakeries - Galaxy Note 9

This month has been an absolute WFH for me.  The view from my house's balcony can be so dramatic and even inspiring too, at times.

Dark Clouds on Some Days - Galaxy Note 9

And Rainbow on One - Galaxy Note 9

And The Sun Ray Breaking Through The Clouds After a Quick Rain - Galaxy Note 9

And the kids had to start taking routine ART tests now every week.  It was hard to get them started in the beginning, especially Lindsay who still hates using the swab. 

Back to School ART - Galaxy Note 9

I have to say that I'm very frustrated with the Covid-19 condition in Singapore now.  I have really lost all confidence in the Multi Ministry Task Force and I completely distrust them.  

I can't understand why they choose to "stabilise" the numbers rather than "bringing it down".  With daily infection rates of about 3500 on average, I don't feel safe going out, especially with the kids not vaccinated yet.  3500 average is just the official number excluding those who do their own ART tests, which if they test positive, are not included in the official tally.  So there are actually more positive cases than reported daily.  And no one can tell if these positive ART cases still go about their daily activities becoming silent spreaders, ignoring the government advisories.  I mean, there are people who chose not to get vaccinated, what's stopping these positive ART cases from not following MOH's recommendation to self isolate??  The MMTF's recklessness is just plain amazing...   

As Covid's spread becomes more rampant, the lady boss of Little Nyonya Batik eventually caught it too this month.  Her condition was quite precarious as her ECG reading was irregular at the time she caught it, which indicated possible problems with her heart.  The SASH clinic she went to referred her to TTSH to double check her ECG reading.  Her shop was closed for 2 weeks and she had to be quarantined for 10 days.  Fortunately she recovered uneventfully.

I also don't understand why the MMTF can't just implement a 2-week Circuit Breaker so that we can all move along with life.  We just need to swallow the bitter pill for 2 weeks, bring the infection numbers down so that contact tracers can work effectively again and start effectively isolating cases to effectively prevent further spreads.  Once the numbers are down everybody can go about their daily lives with a certain degree of normalcy again.  I don't think 2 weeks is unreasonable, since the quarantine period has also been reduced to 10 days now.  So what's 2 weeks of circuit breaker compared to 8 weeks of restrictions?  Business owners are suffering if this goes on, especially in the F&B industry!  Illogical decisions made by supposedly bright people...  hogwash!  

Also, at the current rate, if the infection rate is "stabilised", then the number of daily deaths will also be "stabilised" - this is a linear relationship!  The sad thing is, these deaths could have been reduced, but the government has chosen to sacrifice these lives.  Yes, I said "sacrifice".  Because statistics show fully vaccinated elderlies dying too.  I just don't buy it when the PM said that each death is "keenly felt", because if that were the case, they would have done something to prevent them.  ICU utilisation rate which is used to gauge the severity of the pandemic is also not a fair metric!  The rate may be high now, but it will eventually fall as more and more people die, till there are no more people to die left!  Which is why, I mentioned this is a "sacrifice"!  In my opinion, a government that is willing to accept and allow deaths instead of preventing it has lost their moral compass.  As such, I have lost all trust in them now.

As a result of their indecisions or perhaps face saving attempt, we are now living with prolonged restrictions for up to 8 weeks.  Silly isn't it?  They keep on campaigning that we have to live with Covid, well..  the elderlies are not ready.  The unvaccinated children are not ready.  Even the adults who have yet to receive their 3rd jab are not ready.  I really think that the MMTF should just stop trying to save face and admit that they have made a mistake and rectify it.  Even after the Israeli study on booster shots, why is this MMTF not learning from another country's experience?  Why are we opening up too soon when booster rate is still low??  Geez! 

So much for those bumbling ministers...  At least I got this thing out of my chest.  

Anyway, enough ranting....   

My Shureido-gi arrived earlier by 2 weeks.  The gi looks awesome and snaps hard.  But I still can't bear to part with current gi, I've decided to still use that gi for weekly practice.

My New KC-10, Absolutely Gorgeous - Galaxy Note 9

I also challenged myself to make Dorayaki this month.  I thought it should be cheaper than buying those imported ones, and fresher too.  

Making The Pancake Mixture - Galaxy Note 9

And Cooking The Pancake - Galaxy Note 9

A Successful First Batch With Ovomaltine & Peanut Butter Filling - Galaxy Note 9

Red Bean Paste For 2nd Batch (Failed, Too Hard 😔) - Galaxy Note 9

Linc Only Ate 2, I Still Have to Finish The Rest - Galaxy Note 9

Unfortunately my latest batch received some complaints from the customers (basically my kiddos) as the red bean filling was not soft enough.  I still need more practice making the red bean paste. 

I went on my usual Saturday walks with the missus too.  On one walk we went further to somewhere near Esplanade Park.   

We Didn't Walk All The Way There, From Here Good Enough - Galaxy Note 9

Bright Sunny Afternoon - Galaxy Note 9

I also went on a date with the missus to Prairie by Craftsmen Cafe near our home in River Valley.  Food was good, coffee was great.  Might drop by again with Lindsay in the future.  I think she'll like coming to Prairie.

Another Hot October Saturday Afternoon - Galaxy Note 9

Food's Here! - Galaxy Note 9

I'm a Fish Eater - Galaxy Note 9

Then I also went for a drive to Little India to bask in the amazing Deepavali Lights.  

Entering Little India - Galaxy Note 9

Beautiful Lighting - A7RMk3 + FE 20mm F1.8G

Towards the end of the month, I did something I never imagined I could have done in a very long time - I resigned from my current workplace.  I will be starting my new position on 22nd November, still a long way, but I'm really looking forward to  it.

Beautiful Autumn Moon - Galaxy Note 9

On one of my sleepless nights (which was last night), my attention was drawn to a noise outside.  When I peered thru the window I noticed this man cleaning the bus stop at 12:37 a.m.  

Graveyard Shift - RX100 Mk3

I really sympathize with him.  While I'm resting comfortably in my home, he's hard at work at such ungodly hour.  I pray that he'll be healthy and safe always, and hopefully get a much better job later on. 

And this is how my October is coming to an end.  Here's a closing shot for this entry: 

~ Photos Taken With Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Sony RX100 Mk3, Sony A7RMk3 + FE 20mm F1.8G ~