By the time this Circular is released, we would be in the midst of the Syawal month of festivities when all Malaysians alike are always eager to celebrate Hari Raya with their Muslim comrades in our beloved nation. Reflecting on the solidarity that all religions and races should maintain in this country, count our blessings that we Malaysians thrive in a relatively peaceful and harmonious place. The key to this is moderation and tolerance, despite the occasional hiccups and frictions arising from time to time, which are swiftly and peacefully resolved by the powers that be. Approaching close to 70 years now of the nation’s independence from our British colonial masters who left us in 1957, we have come so far – our citizens are much more resilient and mature enough to preserve the racial and religious co-existence that we have managed to achieve and maintain up until now.
“Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.” – Mahatma Gandi, 1921
IN THIS CIRCULAR
This month we are excited to share our line-up of several new-themed pieces for your reading pleasure. Some of the highlights include an article touching briefly on the path to achieve financial independence, on page 64, which is intended to instigate some thoughts among our younger Members to start planning and managing their finances and investments wisely from now, to be liberated as early as they can. Complementary to the topic on money matters, in Our Last Word on page 82, we proffer some useful tips on Money and E-Wallet apps, given the plethora of apps available out there and the mounting number of banking transactions now being performed on our trusty devices. On the flip and more fun side, we present a piece on E-gaming by a new contributor, member Dylan Cheah. His story is on page 26 which we believe will surely tweak the interest of our younger more tech-savvy Members. Not to abandon our earthy roots, we give you a sneak peek preview of the characteristics of 7 of our special RSGC trees in the article: Unveiling the Story of Trees, in page 46. Don’t forget to diarise the date 21st May, for a Nature Walk through the 10th Hole New Course with the endeavouring Farizaa, to understand and learn more about our trees. On the subject of trees, did you know that trees, by sending signals through a network of latticed fungi buried in the soil, can warn other neighbouring trees about dangers ahead, an approaching predator or pathogenic bugs, and such stress signals have escalated lately due to deforestation, forest degradation and droughts, all caused directly or indirectly by humans? So do love, respect and appreciate our trees!
We are aware that the Travel Section is the first place that most Members flip to when a Circular is released every month! This time we have a story on page 58 from Poh, on his family’s stay on the beautiful Redang Island off the coast of Terengganu. This hidden gem of an isle is still fairly remote hence the health of its corals and marine life around there are still intact, thanks to the flowing ocean currents from the open South China Sea which replenishes and recirculates its waters. We hope reading others’ tales of inspiring journeys to farflung places, or courageous activities done in unfamiliar surroundings whether in the country or anywhere else on our beautiful planet, will encourage other Members to live out their fantasies. As always, we greatly encourage Members to share their accounts of any of their adventures or journeys, by contributing a short piece to the Editorial Board accompanied with lovely photos. This helps to make our Circular more diverse, interesting, and personal to Members. We constantly strive to make our Circular the envy of other Clubs!
For those sentimentalists and lovers of heritage, we have 2 treats for you in this Circular: The article Memory Triggered on page 66 rendering a fascinating account of our KL Railway Station which triggers old memories for most, and fond memories especially for the writer, of her late father. On page 52, pictures and story of the Tan Boon Chia Mansion will evoke warm fuzzy feelings inside us, of the amazing architecture of the yesteryears. Historical structures such as these truly demand and must get the preservation, restoration and due attention from those responsible, as they are part of our Malaysian story and heritage.
You may have noticed a QR Code appearing every now and then accompanying a particular story. Many readers revealed that they were unaware that they can click on the code and voila! Watch a video related to the story. Try it out if you haven’t already.
So many more articles yet to be mentioned here, but I will leave it to your own time to pore over this Circular.
SELAMAT HARI RAYA
On behalf of the Editorial Board, we wish all our Muslim Members a lovely rest of the Syawal month, this celebration being a time of joy, reflection and unity. So let our hearts overflow with faith, gratitude and forgiveness as we embrace the blessings bestowed upon us. The traditional greeting “Maaf Zahir Batin” is uttered at this time of the year to seek forgiveness for any misgivings or wrongdoings, a pure intention which fosters and encourages self-reflection, empathy and reconciliation in conjunction with this month of Syawal.
Editor of the month
Farah Suhana Sarji
