ROTARY CLUB OF RAFFLES CITY

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1 Lunch Meeting May 8 th, 2007 Pres Elect Johnson Tan chaired our lunch meeting. He welcomed visiting Rotarian &our guest speaker Mr Raymond Anthony Fernando. The toast to our visiting Rotarian & Rotary International was led by Rtn Brian Tan. He also stood in as Sgtat-arms. PP TC Phua then introduced our guest speaker who became an advocate for the mentally ill through his personal 30 years experience in caring for his wife who has since recovered from depression & schizophrenia. It was a heart warming & riveting talk of a man s deep love for his stricken wife and their trials & tribulation in coping with mental illness. Mr Fernando also provided useful caregiver tips for anyone helping someone cope with schizophrenia-said to be the most distressing of all mental illness. Several attending members also took up our speaker s offer to purchase his book Loving a Schizophrenic which is a chronicle of their courtship, long inter-racial marriage and painful battle with mental illness. PP TC thanked our speaker for sharing his personal life experience and for championing the plight of sufferers of mental illness. With the recent revelation that 1 in 4 teens and adults could face mental problems; it might be pertinent that we in Rotary service look into this neglected aspect of community help. Our lunch meeting was attended by 14 Rotarians, 1 visiting Rotarian and 2 guests. Sunshine box collection was $15. RCRC TOUR TO JAPAN 2007 On 2 April 2007, a 12 member group of Raffles City Rotarians and their wives embarked on a six day trip to Japan, with the main mission of visiting our sister club, the Rotary Club of Nagoya Meihoku. Led by our President Sami Midani, the group comprised Rita & Ron Pereira, Tari & Kaka Singh, May & Vincent Chen, Chin Koy Nam, Juliet & Johnson Tan and Cecilia & Alfred Ong. We took the red-eye flight from Singapore to Osaka and arrived in the early morning. We went straight to the Sakuranomiya Park to view the lovely white cherry blossoms on the banks of the Okawa River. We were very fortunate in the timing of our tour and for the next few days, everywhere we went we saw the sakura in full bloom certainly an outstanding feature of our holiday. Our itinerary took us from Osaka to Kyoto, Nagoya, Mt Fuji area and finally to Tokyo and included several sightseeing highlights. In Kyoto we visited Kiyomizu (or Pure Water) Temple, a popular shrine perched on the hills, and Nijo Castle where the Shogun once lived. In Arashiyama, a resort area near Kyoto, we strolled through the Bamboo Forest and took the Sagano Romantic Train so named presumably because of the many dark tunnels in addition to the scenic views! We took a cruise on Lake Ashi in Hakone and enjoyed the view of Mt Fuji from Lake Kawaguchi. In Tokyo we visited the famous Tsukiji fish market where all kinds of fresh seafood are auctioned and

2 Asakusa Kannon Temple with its gigantic paper lanterns. On the final day, we went to Sawara near Narita, a picturesque village with its waterways and old wooden houses dating back to the 18 th century. But the tour was a lot more than sightseeing. Alfred Ong who organized our tour was intent on giving us exceptional experiences that would rarely be found on standard tour programmes. First, it was total immersion into Japanese cuisine. Our tour guide Katharine was told to provide us Japanese food for every meal, including plenty of sashimi to the extent permitted by her budget. Oishi! (or delicious ) was the refrain often chorused at our meals. In addition there was often a free flow of sake, beer and whisky generously sponsored by President Sami - to add to the gaiety and to spur fellowship. Second, we spent two of our five nights staying in ryokans or Japanese inns where we dressed in yukatas and slept on tatami mats and the men soaked in the hot spring bath together. At the exclusive Kyoto Arashiyama Togetsutei, we also experienced a grand Japanese banquet. It was our third sister club visit to Nagoya Meihoku and once again we were treated to an impressive reception. President Kajikawa and President Sami exchanged greetings, felicitations and gifts before we sat down to an elaborate dinner. For entertainment, our hosts brought in a tenor and a soprano to perform several Western opera excerpts. While communication with our Japanese friends was a challenge, we nonetheless enjoyed warm fellowship. And towards the end of the evening, our Singapore delegation sang Rasa Sayang for our hosts with two verses composed by Ron and Vincent celebrating the friendship between our clubs. We saw many beautiful places and had many delicious Japanese meals. But most of all, we enjoyed splendid Rotary fellowship manifested in the lively conversations we had, the merriment of laughing at each other s follies, the singing on the bus, the communal hot baths, having ramen for supper even after a heavy dinner and meeting up with our former member Nanjo-san. The tour enhanced old friendships and fostered new ones. Alfred Ong must be commended for organizing a most enjoyable and successful trip to Japan and the Nagoya Meihoku Club. Reported by PP Vincent Chen Johnson & Rita with sashimi At Bamboo Forest with matching green tops for some

3 At Arashimaya ryokan A grand Japanese banquet Pres Sami and Pres Kajikawa With RC Nagoya Meihoku Rotarians May and Cecilia at Tsukiji Fish market At Asakusa Kannon Temple

4 Announcements JOINT MEETING WITH RC SUNTEC CITY Our series of joint meeting with fellow Rotary Clubs in our group continue with RCRC being hosted by RC Suntec City at their breakfast meeting: Date Sat 12 May 2007 Time 9.45am 11.00am Venue NUSS Guild House, Suntec City Level 5 Sec Aaron Tan needs support from members to attend weekend breakfast meeting! Kindly contact him asap. Thank you. FAREWELL LUNCH MEETING AT MARINA MANDARIN Our RC Raffles City has been meeting weekly for our Tues lunch meeting at the Marina Mandarin since For the most part it had been a wonderful association between the hotel & us. However with the increasing cost of holding lunch meetings, the Board of Directors has proactively considered and decided on the alternative venue of the Singapore Cricket Club. Members at the Club Assembly of 17 Apr 2007 unanimously approved this venue change. In consideration of our loyal business, Marina Mandarin is planning a special 4-course farewell lunch for RC Raffles City. Date Tues 22 May 2007 It will be appropriate that we turn up in good numbers to observe our last lunch meeting at Marina Mandarin. Club Service Director, TC Phua will be confirming your attendance closer to date. JOINT MEDICAL/ DENTAL PROJECT WITH sister club RC LUYANG Date Sat 26 May 2007 Venue Kota Belud, Sabah Note Team of doctors & member volunteers will travel to Kota Kinabalu on Fri 25 May & return on Sun 27 May. Interested members may extend to return on Mon 28 May to enjoy KK. Interested RCRC members, please contact PP Ron Pereira for more details. Wonderful fellowship to be enjoyed in this third edition of co-operation between sister clubs!

5 FORTHCOMING SISTER CLUB VISIT : - RC Peninsula 26 June RC Makati North 18 July 2007 News Update: Birthdays in May Anniversaries in April 6 th Baldev Singh 15 th Sorinder Singh 19 th T C Phua 18 th Alfred Shee 26 th Corina Lai 25 th Nidhi Swarup 27 th Billy Lee 31 st T C Phua The Guide to Daily Living Adopted for use by D3310 Conferences 1999 & 2001 Promoted for use in all clubs by D3310 Conference 2005 Submitted for consideration of the COL 2007, endorsed by D3310 Conference 2005 The Guide to Daily Living Before doing the things we want to do, consider first, the precept of the Guide. Ask ourselves these 4 questions and act upon them:

6 First Second Third Fourth Have I spent some time in self-examination? Have I spent quality time with my family? Have I given the best to my work? Have I given some time to someone near and far? The first question prompts us to evaluate ourselves and our ability to serve. The second question reinforces our commitment to the family our intimate community of Life and Love The third question requests us to commit ourselves to work excellence and the practice of high ethical standards. The fourth question reminds us of our duty to Lend A Hand, rendering compassionate service and working for world peace. The Guide, in fact, encompasses the 4 parts of the Object of Rotary. The Four- Way Test: From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The Four-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as RI president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions: "Of the things we think, say or do: 1) Is it the TRUTH? 2) Is it FAIR to all concerned? 3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? 4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"

7 Words of Wisdom for Rotarians: Never underestimate the power of giving. It shines like a beacon throughout humanity. It cuts through the ocean that divides us and brightens the lives of all it touches. One of life s greatest laws is that you cannot hold a torch to light another s path without brightening your own. End of Bulletin