Saturday, November 30, 2013

            Theme: Reminiscence                                                         
              Word of the day: Perky


Do you still remember those good old days? They might be days which saw off events which made you squirmed with embarrassment upon realization of your own innocence and naivety. They might be moments when you mischievously chased after the wandering flock of chickens with your mighty water gun.            


 These were childhood times in which you have long been hankering for upon stepping into the adulthood full of doubts and uncertainties. Reminiscence has had the better of us and this meeting came as a much-needed outlet for those pangs of nostalgia.

                The urge to turn back the clock back to childhood times surged with the Table Topics Session invoking our memories of the favourite Disney movies, the coyness exhibited in the maiden confession and the self-made cards dedicated to our parents with strokes of crayons and colour pencils.


                Aptly, all the assignment speeches presented seemed to remind us to always revisit the roots and basic tenets of the life.


It was kick-started with a brilliant sharing by CC Fatimah about the Secrets of Happiness. Its relevance couldn't be anymore emphasized given that we are in an era shaped by complexities and intricacies.
 “Happiness isn't a destination but a journey.”








In times where sleep is often considered as a time-consuming luxury, it was Sara’s speech which reminded us the importance of sleep.
"Lack of sleep causes mood swing and overall tiredness"








Lastly, Yew Yi gave his take on moderation with the speech titled as The Best of Both World.



"Moderation gives you an unrivalled perspective on things in times of conflicts."










 As usual, refreshment is the session which you can always rest your expectation upon. Words and compliments can hardly do justice to those cakes except churning it mindfully with silent appreciation.


Then, we had CC Dr. Tilla all the way from KL Tamil Toastmaster Club who played the role as a General Evaluator. She was thorough, helpful, perceptive and notably graceful in her delivery.
Besides, the meeting was also attended by guests: Yee Yuen and Zhi Soung who shared with us their insights on several matters.

 Things viewed from different lens are in fact needed for the club to grow from strength to strength. 








“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” 
― Søren Kierkegaard


Sunday, November 24, 2013

Theme: What's in a name

Word of the day: Allusion 


Ever wonder why people address you by your name or why you were named in such a way… your name?


The past meeting explored on this perplexing issue with the theme “What is in a name”Accordingly, everyone in the Introduction Session was to share or guess the meaning behind their name. Some were profoundly enlightening and some were cheeky. As a whole, the session was an eye-opener.


 Next, the Table Topic Session took an unexpected twist. As requested by the innovator – TM Chen Long, each person was to write an adjective about himself or herself on a piece of paper, which would be the topic for the table topic speakers. The speaker was to pick out the person who wrote the adjective and of course, with justifications. Needless to say, the speaker’s imagination and thinking capacity would have to be stretched to nowhere without any investigation. It was fun. Kudos to Chen Long.
 


During the session of Project Speech, CC Yik Ming presented on peculiar facts about our body in which we had often taken for granted. You might never realized that the speed of sneezing can reach the mind-boggling 165km/h and the metabolic waste-urine possesses healing effects until listening to Yik Ming’s well-crafted speech. You definitely never thought your fragile strands of hair, when numbered to 150000, can support the weight of 2 elephants!


Fatimah was on song.
CC Wei Chin was
 presenting on the vexing social issue.

 






















 Next, CC Wei Chin shed lights on   teenage abortion- a social issue   that have been long lurking yet remains unresolved while CC Fatimah gave us a picture about her High School’s Farewell Party in Pakistan. Such is the beauty of Toastmaster. People get to expose themselves to diverse opinions and culture.


Delicious food with nice chit-chat

As always, the refreshment lived up to its expectation, probably beyond that. Generous spread of delicious cakes on the table was simply mouth-watering and appetite-seducing. Million thanks, Fatimah!

The satisfying refreshment was followed by fruitful evaluation with CC Yew Choong taking helm as a General Evaluator.










TM Chern Ken was taking the role as
Toastmasters of the Evening.
Everyone was engrossed in Yik Ming's presentation.










































Keep your mind open and you shall be enlightened. Wisdom comes when we start to appreciate everything in life, be it good or bad, be it big or small. Toastmasters, as a sharing stage, provide just that.

Sunday, November 03, 2013


Theme : Halloween 

Word of the day : Nyctophobia 


On safe land!


Though it was Halloween, there was no sight of ghastly – looking beings. Thank God. All were safe from the deadly bite of the Walking Dead.

             





   The meeting was started off with a brief round of introduction, with each and every one sharing their experience of Nyctophobia (Word of the Day). Instead of letting the fear to rule the day, the joy and laughter had the last say.

                                                                           
Character aside, Wei Chin's attire was too
 powered by Pocahontas.

        As for the Table Topic Session, we learnt that the most torturous prank one can ever play on another is to wake somebody up in the middle of the night for no reason. Indeed, this prank was the most annoying of its kind. (Sorry to know that you have been through this before TM Yahya!)

        Next, CC Wei Chin portrayed how her favourite cartoon character –Pocahontas inspired her triumphs over the men. 

        Lastly, when asked which types of ghosts scared her most, TM Shafinas shared with us her real-life supernatural encounter in a jungle during a camping trip. Immediately, the room plunged into a pin-drop silence. That was the first time that the atmosphere dipped below zero-degree Celsius since the audience had learnt the theme of the meeting. Lesson learnt. Never fool around in places like jungle.

                




Nicholas. A caring lad.
             For the project speech, TM Pei San surged to the stage and shared with us her first-time cooking experience. Being inspired by her boyfriend who could handle household chores well, Pei San decided to make the very first step into the kitchen and come out with something edible. Despite those botched attempt (i.e. fish slipping away from hand, egg turning into a charred scrap), she never stopped grabbing the chance to improve herself. Finally, she got the long-awaited admiration and praises from her loved one. Currently, she is available for consultation over cooking matters.
.
                                                  
              Next, TM Nicholas highlighted the plight of stray animals. Being moved by their piteous state, Nicholas spoke with conviction, urging all to consider giving those poor creatures a chance while one does have a choice of s splashing lavishly on those fine breeds.




          

Kevin. The family guy. 
         Attempting his tenth speech, TM Kevin shared with us the strong bonding with her mom after having gone through various hard times together. It was glad to know Kevin’s mother made it through the cancerous illness after much heart-wrenching moments. Though Kevin’s speech was subsequently failed by Dr. Devi given that what was at stake, still, the speech wasn't short of a compassionate and a value-laden one. Good try and keep trying!

              

          Lastly, CC Fatimah educated the audience about the making of the leather. Interestingly, she even shared with us ways to remove the offending odour of newly bought leather-made products.


                After an energizing refreshments with delicious cakes, came the fruitful evaluation driven by the General Evaluator- CC Malcome, the ever energetic lad. Notably, CC Yik Ming presented a detailed grammarian report that benefitted the audience.  


Malcome, the Handsome.



Syafinas on supernatural encounter

Dr. Devi, the Devil's advocate in the Evaluation Session.

Yahya, the pranked.