Reader’s Digest Asia (English Edition) August 2021

FRIENDSHIP IS A GIFT, and one that we all treasure. Trusting and confiding in each other is what binds friendships together, but when those foundations are threatened, it can rock an individual to their core. In ‘Scammed By My Best Friend’ (page 86), we witness how low one scammer was prepared to go for financial gain. This month’s issue offers an interesting read for everyone. For adventure lovers, we marvel at the bravery and determination of a man who survived almost 29 hours in Indonesian waters (‘Lost Overboard’, page 96). Health-wise, we take an in-depth look at bladder cancer and how to recognise the early signs (page 56), and examine the nutritional value of matching certain foods together (‘Dynamic Duos’, page 76). For most of us, using social media is a regular…

Where Are We Headed? I have just finished reading ‘Saving the Moon’ (May) and I can’t believe what I read. Looking at the overall picture, humans wanting to explore and set up civilisations out in the universe, not to mention establishing mining companies on the Moon, makes me wonder, where are we heading? Again, it’s all about money. Wanting to establish mining companies to bring minerals back to our planet is beyond belief. Instead of spending millions of dollars on exploratory programmes, we should be looking at securing our world; many countries are gearing themselves for more wars and others are impoverished. Instead of wasting money investigating how to live beyond our world, we should be exploring ways for every country to live in peace and plan how to ensure that everyone…

READERSDIGESTASIA Anecdotes and jokes $50–$100 Send in your real-life laugh for Life’s Like That or All in a Day’s Work. Got a joke? Send it in for Laughter is the Best Medicine! Smart Animals Up to $100 Share antics of unique pets or wildlife in up to 300 words. My Story $250 Do you have an inspiring or life-changing tale to tell? Submissions must be true, unpublished, original and 800–1000 words. Here’s how to reach us: Email: asiaeditor@readersdigest.com.au Write: Reader’s Digest Asia Editorial Department Singapore Post Centre PO Box 272, Singapore 914010 Online: rdasia.com/contribute Include your full name, address, phone number and email. Letters: We may edit letters and use them in all print and electronic media. Submissions: All submissions become our property on payment and subsequent publication in the magazine. We may edit and fact-check submissions. We cannot return or acknowledge material not accepted for publication. For terms and…

Coral Reefs Experiencing Revival After Cyclone In 2016, Cyclone Winston – the strongest cyclone to ever make landfall in the southern hemisphere – ripped through Fiji, killing 44 people and damaging or destroying more than 40,000 homes. The storm also decimated the vibrant coral reefs of the Namena Marine Reserve and Vatui-Ra Conservation Park, the backbone of the country’s tourism and fishing industries. Five years later, those reefs are experiencing a revival. Divers report that both areas, once graveyards of underwater rubble, are teeming with colourful fish and coral colonies. The rebirth – due in part to environmental protections such as fishing limits – is not just a relief to the people of Fiji, but a positive sign for other regions where reefs are endangered by climate change. Uninvited Guest When farmers Jessa and…

AND SO IT BEGINS,” I said to myself. We were a few minutes into our long walk, but getting to this first step had taken several years. Six, to be exact. In the summer of 2011, my friend Nino and I started talking over lunch about the Camino de Santiago. Only a handful of friends seemed to know about the pilgrimage route, and I was surprised that he not only knew about it but, like me, also had it on his bucket list. It took another six years before we finally found ourselves at the foot of the famous yellow arrows in the spring of 2017. Over those years we had grown to be more than just friends, and we thought of this walk as one long date. There is a network of routes…

Bringing Baby to Visit LORNE HENRY From 2008 to 2019, I lived in an old farmhouse in Lansdowne, a village on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, with no neighbours nearby. In the late afternoons, a pair of yellow-tailed black cockatoos would fly over, on their way from the mountain forests to who knows where, heralded by their sad cry. During the long drought in 2018, they’d stop in my backyard to drink from my large ceramic lily pond. One would stand guard high in the old black bean tree that used to shade the outdoor toilet, while the other drank its fill. Then, they’d change positions. When both were replete, they’d fly off. This occurred every day. When I hadn’t seen them for quite some time, I’d wondered what had befallen them…