Facets of Life

Quotes make us think. When we think, we analyse the truth contained therein, and we learn the wisdom in them. Quotes can serve as our signposts on our journeys through life. They can be our teachers, guardians, and friends … always there to patiently motivate, encourage, advice, counsel, console, enlighten, educate, and at times to egg us on when we are feeling down, discouraged or disillusioned. Some of these teachers are centuries old. But their words of wisdom are still as applicable today as when they were first said, centuries ago.

The simplest way to stop a flame-war is to breathe deeply, swallow your bile and just let an idiot have the last word. - Daniel Walker

There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem, and a concerned person solves a problem. - Harold Stephens

Every reform, however necessary, will by weak minds be carried to an excess, that itself will need reforming. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

All rising to a great Place is by a winding stair. - Francis Bacon

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. - Henry Ford

To have striven, to have made the effort, to have been true to certain ideals – this alone is worth the struggle. - William Osler

We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing. - Charles Schaefer

Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we resort to hide them. - Duc de La Rochefoucauld

We are slaves of the law so that we may be able to be free. - Marcus Tullius Cicero

To hide the key to your heart is to risk forgetting where you placed it. - Timothy Childers

The short term pain of accepting the truth is much better than the long term pain of believing an illusion. - Unknown

All theory, dear friend, is grey; but the precious tree of life is green. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Wednesday Walk

Walking is the very best exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far. - Thomas Jefferson

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My daily walk is about six kilometers, and it takes between an hour to an hour and a half, depending on my speed, as well as how often I stopped to take pictures, or to have a word with my fellow walkers. One thing for sure, with such a scenic route, and so much to see, it is always a pleasant walk.

So, join me on this Wednesday walk, as I show you some of the scenes, flowers and plants along my walk route.

I love this scene, this section of the canal. When the water is still and it is a bright, beautiful day, I get to see this reflective image. Every time I see it, I feel like stopping to take a picture, even though I have taken quite a few of them.

There used to be a railway track. The train stopped running and the place is left empty, while the authorities decide what to do with it. Meanwhile, some walkers and bikers used the trail as there is less people here than on the walk route.

I have no idea what this plant is. It is covered in little brown blooms. Too bad they don't quite show up in the picture.

We don't have banana plantations in Singapore, but banana plants can be seen almost anywhere. These looks like they will be ripe before too long.

Beautiful small white flowers. There are pink coloured ones too. But what is interesting about this plant is that the stems and branches are very stringy, and leaves are sparse.

This is another curiosity. Beautiful tiny flowers and beside them appear this 'fruit', or maybe seed pod would be more appropriate. I have no idea what it is.

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Life Is Not Perfect

Life is not perfect, life is not fair. Actually, life is indifferent. Life goes on. You either go with the flow of life, or you get swept along in the rivers of life.

We will not always get what we want. And though it hurts a lot, what should have happened, happened. We have seen better days, but we have also seen worse.

However, although we might not have everything that we want, we do have all we need. We might have some aches and pains, but we are alive. Our lives may not be perfect but who’s life is.

So, sometimes, we need to take a step back and look at life from a different perspective. When we do that, we will find that our life is not so bad after all. That is what life is all about.

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A Little Inaccuracy

A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation. - Saki

This is so true. I am sure we all have been in this situation before. In order to save us some long winded explanation, - when we are not in the mood to talk, or when we didn’t think it important, or when we fear that people might take what we say wrongly, we tell a little inaccuracy instead.

However, you better hope that nobody finds out about this ‘little inaccuracy’. For if, and when you are caught out with that little inaccuracy, you will have a lot more explaining to do. People may not believe you then, even if you tell the truth. They will wonder why you need to tell an inaccuracy, and what you were hiding from them. They might always doubt what you say from there on, finding it hard to believe everything you say, again.

So, think twice before telling a little inaccuracy. And if you do, make sure, or hope that you are not found out.

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Truisms

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All Puns Intended

Some humour are straight forward. You see, or hear them and you burst out laughing. Some humour are more subtle. You need a second or two, to see the humour.

Puns are such examples. A pun is a joke or type of wordplay in which similar senses or sounds of two words or phrases, or different senses of the same word, are deliberately confused.

The professor discovered that her theory of earthquakes was on shaky ground. - Unknown

I have kleptomania. But when it gets bad, I take something for it. - Unknown

Cartoonist found dead in home. Details are sketchy. - Unknown

A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months. - Unknown

I’ve failed the mathematics test so many times, I lost count. - Unknown

As we understand it, the surest way to make a living by the pen is to raise pigs. - Robert Elliott Gonzales

Deafness is getting to be quite a problem for me lately. I never thought I’d hear myself say that. - Unknown

I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough. - Unknown

Those who forget the pasta are condemned to reheat it. - Unknown

A will is a dead giveaway. - Unknown

I relish the fact that you’ve mustard the strength to ketchup to me. - Unknown

I’m inclined to be laid back. - Unknown

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Extension of Lockdown

This is the third week of the lockdown in Singapore. To date, there are now 11,178 cases of Coronavirus infections in Singapore - 924 of these have recovered, and there are 26 critical cases. There is a slight consolation that only 12 have died from the virus. They were seniors who had pre-existing health conditions.

This has not been an easy time for everyone. I thought we were making progress in controlling the spread of the virus, but it seems like we have not yet succeeded. There has been a spike in the number of cases – this time in the foreign workers’ dormitories.

The local cases might have plateaued, but there are still cases that are unlinked – meaning, it is not sure how these people got infected. This also suggest that there are still asymptomatic carriers in the community. In view of this, the government has extended the lockdown for another month. Now, the lockdown will end on the 1st of June instead of the 4th of May.

If the last two weeks have been tough on everyone, the next six weeks or so, will be tougher. However, the measures are necessary, otherwise, all our efforts in containing the virus from day one would be wasted. We have to get the infections down, at all cost. Maybe, if the measures are successful, the authorities will consider slowly easing up on the lockdown instead of waiting until the 1st of June. We shall see.

Luckily, the clusters in the dorms have remained largely contained, and have not spread to the wider community. The authorities are now testing all the workers in the dormitories. That is why the jump in numbers. Of those who tested positive for the coronavirus, most of the cases are mild, and very few need intensive care. Some do not show any symptoms at all.

In the wider community, the lockdown, or as we call it, the circuit breaker, (because certain business are allowed to remain open, and people are allowed to go out for walks), is starting to have an effect. The number of community cases have remained stable in recent days.

It is going to take a while for the virus to go away. I believe the pandemic is in its early stages yet. Although some countries have managed to contain the virus in the initial stage, they have remained vigilant. A slip in measures will cause all previous efforts to go to waste, and they will have to start another round of lockdown again. I don’t think there are many countries that can survive a second round of lockdown.

This has indeed been a very difficult time for everyone. We are all stressed – physically, mentally, emotionally, economically etc… Still, we have to play our parts, and help to overcome the present situation. We have to hunker down, and hang on a bit more, before life can return to some sort of normalcy.

Meanwhile here are some Coronavirus related memes/funnies. Have a laugh. It will lighten your mood. These memes are not mine. Where possible, I have sourced them.

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Aspire to Inspire

It is said that one small positive thought in the morning can changed your whole day. If that were so, a handful of these inspiring and motivational thoughts would surely change your outlook of life.

So, keep a few of these quotes in mind. You do not know when someone is inspired by that quote from your.

If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive. - Dale Carnegie

When you are an anvil, hold you still; when you are a hammer, strike your fill. - George Herbert

Every person is important. It does not matter whether you play the violin, the flute, the cello, or the drums; you are still part of the orchestra. - Unknown

In the end, it is the person you become, not the things you have achieved that is the most important. - Les Brown

If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it’s OK. But you’ve got to shoot for something. A lot of people don’t even shoot. - Confucius

In the end, it will not matter to us whether we fought with flails or reeds. It will matter to us greatly on what side we fought. - Gilbert Chesterton

The shell must be cracked apart if what is in it is to come out, for if you want to know the kernel you must break the shell. - Meister Eckhart

To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it. - Mother Teresa

In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of one hundred years, teach the people. - Confucius

We are where we are, as we are, because of what we are. - Earl J. Glade

What is past is past. There is a future left to all men who have the virtue to repent, and the energy to atone. - Edward G. E. Bulwer-Lytton

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Walks

The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy; walk and be healthy. The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose. - Charles Dicken

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During times as such, when the country is on lockdown – or in our case, it is called Circuit Breaker, because some businesses are allowed to remain open, and we are allowed to go out to exercise – and we are advised to stay home, there is nothing better than to be able to go out, have a walk, and take in some fresh air.

So, join me as I take you with me on my walk. This is the starting point.

There is a canal beside my walk path. I once saw a family of otters wading along the canal. It was quite a sight.

There is a little platform extending from the side of the canal. Sometimes, you see folks fishing. Occasionally, they are rewarded with a big catch. This usually attracts the attention and excitement of people who are out for a stroll, or the little ones.

The canal continues on till it reaches a reservoir. At the deeper end, it is home to fishes, turtles, komodo dragons.

Can you spot the turtles? There are quite a few of them in the canal. Occasionally, you see one who made its way up the canal and try to cross the road.

A crane. There are always one or two about. There are also kingfishers, and herons. These are birds fishing for food. The cranes sometimes stand in the water to fish. The herons stood very still on the side of the canal, and wait for unsuspecting fishes to come their way. They are very alert. The minute you stopped, and try to take a photo, they will fly off.

Singapore is in the tropics. So, all year round, there are all sorts of flowers blooming. Here, are a couple of those blooms along the walk path. Unfortunately, I am not very up to date with their names. I would do a post on them once I get to know them better. This, the first picture, I believe are Jasmine flowers. The other two, I have yet to find out what they are.

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