By Lee San

Just as we stepped into the month of October, we read that President Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, but was miraculously cured barely three days later. Will this miracle help him win the November election? Right now the duel between him and Joe Biden is in the final countdown. Who will claim the eventual victory?  All the polls point to Biden!

In fact, the world is quietly watching whether there will be more "October surprises" to tip the US presidential election. Hopefully it will be a happy ending for everyone. But the cruel reality is that so far over eight million Americans have been infected with the virus and more than 220,000 have since perished. Who should be held accountable for all this? Understandably countries like China, Russia and Iran have hoped Trump wins the election, for he can make America anything but great again! What about you? Perhaps by now you should tell the differences between a statesman and a rogue politician.

October also sees the freshly baked iPhone 12 taken out of the oven, but having browsed through so many comments on social media, it can be deduced that Apple fans don't seem any more excited this time. Anything wrong? Lack of novel ideas or mood, or both? Same here, short of cash, what else? I have waited for ten whole months just to start work again. No harm waiting for iPhone 13, I guess!

As a matter of fact, I'm actually waiting for another October surprise from the States, that Donald Trump will show the world his vaccine before the month ends. Although two US firms have failed phase III trials and have decided to drop the plan of producing the vaccines, I'm still willing to receive the first  jab, even as Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris said she would not take a vaccine recommended by Trump, adding that she only trusted Dr Fauci. What a shame few in America would trust their president!

Restlessness, frustration and animosity are fast choking the world's most militarily powerful nation, largest economy and melting pot, brewing into an enormous pressure that if by accident someone unknowingly pushes some button this October, the pressure cooker is going to explode and rock the earth! It's human ignorance that brings the downfall of the US. The two old men now vying for the presidency are already 74 and 78 respectively. I don't mean to be rude to seniors, but among over 300 million Americans, can't we have another who aspires to be the president? You know what I mean. At least they should pick some young and brainy chap in the likes of Emmanuel Macron or Justin Trudeau so that there'll be hope for America tomorrow and the world can be back to normal again.

Unfortunately the US is not the only place on this planet to feel uneasy. Record infection numbers are registered almost on a daily basis in Europe and much of our world, reaching a high of 350,000 new cases in a single day.

Here in Malaysia, we find ourselves equally besieged without any forewarning this October!

The second wave coronavirus infections have finally descended upon us. New highs are registered every other day. CMCO has been reinstated in two states and three federal territories. Anwar Ibrahim claims to have the list that no one else has seen, and politicians are stepping up their power-grabbing games. Even Tengku Razaleigh who has stayed out of public limelight for so long suddenly shows up again. The Treasury has said it will no longer bail out the ailing national carrier, while the tourism minister is keeping mum on the whereabouts of the RM1 billion allocations, as her deputy shies away from public radar as he always does. There are possibly two million people out of work here, and our prime minister probably feels just as "besieged" as anyone else!?

While some of the above may have been anticipated, others are inexplicable manipulations by unseen hands!

I agree we must reinforce our COVID-19 management. As a matter of fact, the daily new infection numbers during the second wave are far more sinister than during the first phase MCO. The consequences are going to be unimaginably horrifying once the nation's line of defense is breached. We will be rendered completely helpless at the mercy of the heinous virus. During such a crucial moment, prevention is always better than cure. And it's better safe than sorry!

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi brought us a wonderful message during his recent visit to Malaysia: we are among countries to receive the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine from China, even though our government has yet to draw up a substantial solution on vaccine distribution. That said, WHO already has a comprehensive and effective set of scientific guidelines: utmost priority for the frontliners, followed by the very young and aged, before it goes to the rest of the population. As for the cost of injections, US, Japan and the Philippines have affirmed that their  governments will foot the bill. Others like China, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and the EU are expected to follow suit very soon. What about Malaysia?

Cuti-cuti Malaysia has momentarily hit a snag this October. Safety first!  We can always restart our journeys later! Most importantly we need to cooperate by obediently adhering to the SOPs laid out by the experts in hope of defeating the virus. I have faith this whole thing will soon be put behind us. That's when we will hit the road again, together.

Soon it will be the end of October. Our friends on the East Coast are quietly awaiting the arrival of the northeast monsoon. Rough seas, heavy downpours and floods are nothing new to them, and they have learned to live with these. In the months to come, we too must learn to live with the virus, fight it, and adapt ourselves to it.

Our mood this October has been one of "besieged". Perhaps we can make the best of this unique opportunity to adequately equip ourselves in anticipation of a full-fledged recovery in near future.

(Lee San is Founder and Group Executive Chairman of Apple Vacations. He has traveled to 132 countries, six continents, and enjoys sharing his travel stories and insights. He has also authored five books.)