My daughter had to attend school recently to sit for some examinations. She is in Form Two.
Although worried for her safety, our fears were somewhat placated by the fact that she had completed her Covid-19 vaccine doses.
However, the biggest challenge was finding a transporter since our regular driver gave up after struggling to make ends meet when schools were closed.
We were not the only ones. Many parents faced a similar situation.
Some parents complained that even though kids now took turns going to school – as schools alternate between online lessons and face-to-face learning to reduce the number of students – they had to pay transporters or bus drivers fees for the entire month.
While it may seem “unfair” to them, they need to realise that these transporters had suffered during the pandemic, and that they provide a vital service.
The transporter I used was apologetic that she could not continue driving, saying that she needed her new job to put food on the table.
She may not resume driving next year, but that is a problem for another day. Hopefully, by then, we would have found a new one.
I am lucky as I had no problems sending my daughter to school in the afternoons, while the home minister picked her up in the evenings.
Some parents I spoke to said they had to book e-hailing services to send their kids to school. And as we know, such services are not as affordable as they once were.
This coming week is my daughter’s turn to return to school – to collect her exam papers. She wants to go, but with Omicron now a threat, we are still undecided.
The only good news is that the school holidays will start soon.
On a separate note, nearly 200 students and teachers in a boarding school, Sekolah Seri Puteri, in Cyberjaya recently tested positive for Covid-19. The Health Ministry has ordered it to be closed.
In Kedah, 24 students at Mahmud Sik College also tested positive for Covd-19.
I hope and pray they get well soon.
SLIGHT DROP IN NEW CASES, DEATHS
There were 35,098 new cases in the past seven days, a drop from 38,592 from the previous week. That means Malaysia’s total Covid-19 infections now stands at 2.649,578.
There were 298 deaths in the past week, making it 30,538. The last time we had less than 300 deaths in a week was for the week of May 8-14 (190)
There were 17 deaths yesterday, making it 52 consecutive days of less than 100 fatalities in a single day.
On the recovery front, 39,861 patients received the all-clear. That made it 2,556,554 people who had beaten the coronavirus.
Worldwide, there are 265. 1 million cases and 5.25 million fatalities.
STAY STRONG
I received this picture a couple of times this week, especially after news about Omicron made headlines.
STILL WAITING
It has been nearly a month since my mum’s MySejahtera app on her phone declared that she was “Not Vaccinated”, despite her receiving both doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
We emailed and followed the instructions, but to no avail. On Wednesday, the home minister went for her booster shot, and I tried asking the people at the centre if they could help.
Sadly, they could not, but they did tell me to try contacting the relevant parties via Facebook, instead. Wish us luck.
FOR A GOOD CAUSE
Sarina Rhythmic Gymnastics Club raised RM14,270 from its ‘SRGC-Synapse Cloud Community Altruist Nite’ charity event on Merdeka Day for Yayasan Generasi Gemilang.
NO TIME TO DIE
The new James Bond movie, No Time to Die is a fitting farewell to the Daniel Craig era.
There are some surprises in store, but the downside is that it is nearly three hours long. As mentioned previously in this column, it feels as though Covid-19 has further shortened our attention span.
What I loved about the latest Bond movie was Louis Armstrong’s beautiful We Have All the Time in the World.
Trivia: That song was also in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – the only Bond movie with George Lazenby in the lead role.
Although much-maligned at the time, the movie has recently found new fans. I like it, and rate Lazenby as a better Bond, compared to Roger Moore.
I know that Moore has legions of fans, especially those who grew up watching him.
My ranking of the best Bonds: Sean Connery, Craig, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Lazenby and Moore.
RANKING THE BOND BOOKS
In keeping with the Bond theme, Reader’s Digest has ranked all 14 of Ian Fleming’s books. Do you agree with the list?
WE HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD
Here is Armstrong with We Have All the Time in the World. Watch the movie, and you will know why it is such a perfect song.
Until next week, stay safe.
