Some Memories

Hope can try them of of the days! 8 S'pore restaurants make it to Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list SINGAPORE - Eight Singapore restaurants have made it to this year's list of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants, up from six last year. However, French restaurant Odette at the National Gallery Singapore fell from its top spot to No. 2. Sitting atop the list is Hong Kong restaurant The Chairman, which held the No. 2 ranking last year. This marks the first time a Hong Kong restaurant has claimed the top spot. The other Singapore restaurants on the list are Les Amis (No. 13), Burnt Ends (No. 14), Zen (No. 23), Cloudstreet (No. 31), Labyrinth (No. 40), Euphoria (No. 41) and Jaan by Kirk Westaway (No. 42). Dropping out is Corner House, which was at No. 42 last year. https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/8-spore-restaurants-make-it-to-asias-50-best-restaurants-list

May she RIP. 'Heaven had blessed me abundantly': S'porean woman leaves over $1m to Africa's poor kids SINGAPORE - Ms Doris Chua Kheng Geck was a planner and her obituary, which she had paid for herself, was prepared months before her death on March 20. She even wrote it as a farewell message to her loved ones, telling them as they were reading it that she was already on her way to enjoying paradise. She also apologised for her sudden departure and thanked family and friends for their love and kindness, writing: "Heaven had indeed blessed me abundantly with many good things in life and I felt extremely fulfilled." https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/tutor-left-over-1m-to-africas-poor-kids

IN FOCUS: No roaming cattle but with high-tech labs, could Singapore be a 'meat' exporter? It boils down to several reasons: Singapore's intellectual property laws, skilled talent pool, accessibility to a multicultural palate, geographical proximity to agriculture exporters in Southeast Asia, as well as policymakers' support for the food technology industry. Singapore authorities recently granted the world's first regulatory approval for cellular meat. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/alternative-proteins-plant-based-singapore-companies-in-focus-13986682  

Restaurants tell The Straits Times they have been told that diners have to keep their masks on during the lohei. These can only be removed when eating or drinking. Diners are also not allowed to shout the auspicious phrases during lohei. https://www.straitstimes.com/life/food/masks-and-gloves-on-and-no-shouting-please-quieter-lohei-to-welcome-year-of-the-ox

Covid-19 response was a global series of failures, says WHO panel The interim report, an early blueprint for reform, describes the faulty assumptions, ineffective planning and sluggish responses – including missteps by the WHO itself – that helped fuel a pandemic that has killed more than two million people.   "We have failed in our collective capacity to come together in solidarity to create a protective web of human security," the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response writes. Many of the failings, such as the inability of governments to obtain protective equipment or do widespread contact tracing, have long been painfully clear over the course of the pandemic. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/who-china-could-have-acted-faster-on-covid-19-pandemic-experts

https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/558704

MCO standard operating procedures (SOPs): The dos and don'ts 13 to 26 Jan 2021 https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/01/12/mco-standard-operating-procedures-sops-the-dos-and-don039ts