It was another positive turnout in just the second meeting of 2015 and everyone was geared up for the meeting.
Our toastmaster of the evening was the ever vibrant Shawn Cassidy Narcis who was full of energy from start to finish despite the heavy downpour. He set the tone for the evening and the momentum carried along to other role players for the meeting. He reminded us that “Life is a journey that starts with a single step” and he thanked for those who have made that first step and enjoy that journey. That was Shawn’s thought of the day.
Listening attentively
Pranika had an interesting Grammarian report and left a good impression with the word of the day – untoward which means unexpected, inappropriate and inconvenient.
Supatra delivering her speech in style
What a way to kick off the prepared speeches! Supatra successfully met the objectives of her Competent Communicator Manual Project 4 and she delivered her speech in style, mesmerizing her audience on her journey as a dragon boat paddler. Who would have pictured Supatra taking up rowing or paddling as a sport? The sport itself is challenging as it requires great teamwork and leadership. What made Suprata stand out were her perseverance and her will power. If you want to learn about teamwork, Supatra can share you her perspective to be in an efficient team. An efficient and synchronized team where she described like 20 clocks ticking simultaneously. Supatra has continuously impressed us with her Competent Communicator Project Manuals over the past few months.
Jordan, half way to a Competent Communicator!
Next up was Jordan. The audience was tuned in way before his turn came because his speech title sparked interest. It was entitled “Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse”. It was a trivial, fictional topic and it is amazing how it is still relevant due to the steadily growth of cultural interest in zombies. Weird but true. Jordan exercised his body gestures to add more humour by providing survival tips when facing a zombie. It is important to be fit, to be practical and to find a good team and Jordan reassured that audience that they won’t turn into a zombie. Before the end of the meeting, a big acknowledgement and recognition were given to Jordan for reaching a milestone – the halfway mark of the Competent Communicator Project Manual. Keep the momentum going, Jordan.
Congratulations Reuben on achieving your Advanced Leader Bronze!
The final speaker was our very own Vice President Membership, Reuben Chin who has achieved both Competent Communicator and Competent Leader in 11 months. In attempting his Advanced Manuals, Rueben showed no difficulty in meeting the objective – to entertain. His life journey was never short of surprises and he chose to share his bargaining power during his car troubled days. Being “carless” in other countries ain’t much of a challenge as compared to Brunei. Hence, when Reuben went through that phase, he would step up his game and be extra nice to his circle of friends with a deeper intention of wanting a lift to his intended destination. It was definitely a highly entertaining speech.
The fun part about every toastmasters meeting is always the Table Topics. Donna set the context and she used “what if” situations and tested the creativity of the impromptu speakers. The only commonality was that all of them were young men who volunteered themselves to speak. Amazing courage from them! First up, Farhan shared his fear and disgust with a tiny, tiny lizard and he probably understood the lizard’s code word which was “I’m coming for you”.
Congratulations Farhan, the best Table Topic speakers of the evening!
Next was Redzwan who joked about slapping a girl’s cheek to get rid of a mosquito and he was questioning himself why won’t mosquito feed on water instead. Malik was smooth as always in his delivery, sharing a “Mickey Mouse” (a code word for rats) incident with his mother in the car.
Dalton inspecting the ceiling
The final speaker, Dalton, inspected the ceiling, hoping there won’t be a possibility of a bug flying around and ending up in his mouth while giving a speech.
The final third of the meeting ended on a high note and we are grateful for our evaluator Allen Ang to remind us on how to shift to a higher positive energy by means of listening and uplifting the individuals with thunderous claps.
In closing remarks, Hazwan the President of the club was overwhelmed by the turnout especially the guests. He also welcomed members who have been away due to other commitments.
Written by:
TM Rano Iskandar
Photography by:
TM Gerald Goh