I love you. October?

 What did October teach you?

Ever since I was a child, I would often hear my big brother bellow like a baboon; “Patience is the mother of all virtues” and I would look up & stare at the big monkey perched on the jambu tree and wonder wtf was he saying!

Anyone who hasn’t seen or isn't going through tough times these days could be living under a rock or has deep pockets. Having to travel in early October in the early hours of the morning, saw signs of life returning to the usually crowded terminal at KLIA2. Most flights were full as optimism slowly returned to the travel industry only to be dampened by a local airline going bust jettisoning thousands of passengers with bookings.

Also in the early hours on Oct 7, Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israel triggering events of unspeakable horror and brutality that could escalate into WW3.

As if feeling terribly depressed, our ringgit fell to a 25-year low of RM4.77 to the US$, the lowest since the 1997-8 financial crisis.

In mitigation, on Oct 1, in a press release;
"Growth in developing East Asia and Pacific is projected to remain strong at 5% in 2023 but will ease in the second half of 2023 and is forecast to be 4.5% during 2024," the World Bank said on Sunday in its semi-annual economic outlook for the region.
The silver lining here is that Malaysia is expected to perform better (3.9-4.3% growth) in 2023/4 than the last 5 years. (Av. 3.1%)*.

While wine infused lunches still continue for some, some of us have to sip Chinese tea and remain patient as the cycle of life turns to complete the curve of the law of nature, averages, good business practices supported by good governance to prevail.

I now understand my brother’s quote and what October taught me- Patience.
Impatience will surely result in disaster.

May the harmonising force be with you.
May you stay the course with resolve and patience.
May you find strength in finding your gifts.
May November bring glad tidings and peace on earth.




P/s This post is dedicated in memory of multitalented Ray Stevenson who played Baylon Skoll a fallen Jedi, in the Star Wars Clone Wars Series.
Another gunforhire gone too soon.