Infinite Possibilities

After much anticipated planning, Toastmasters of Exact ADC and Friendship recently had a joint meeting at G Tower on 30 November 2010. Visiting Toastmasters started arriving around 6.30 p.m. and enjoyed their dinner in the casual set up. The aroma of nasi lemak and chicken rendang was soon lingering in the air.

The joint meeting kicked off with the opening address by host club’s President Andrew, welcoming the visiting Toastmasters. TME Angeline took over and introduced the evening’s theme of “Infinite Possibilities”. It was an honour to have Division W Club Mentor Chair 2009/2010, Lee Wei Seong, to be our General Evaluator. Grammarian Lay Theng shared the usage of the word “Leverage”, while resident Ah-Counter Ai Shiang, forewarned that she was out to catch all the uhms and ahs.

The table topic session, with a series of “What if” question, set our imagination running wild. Brenda would not mind being Rachel Green on “Friends” and if possible, she would like to be trapped in the famous TV show for more than just one month. Susan then shared her thoughts on money, if it really grew on trees. It was a topic that delighted her, as she talked about having a tree which grows gold instead. Ian was next, showing us what a big David Beckham fan he was. He would not aspire to be David for one day, but for life. Freddie comically entertained us on his topic and almost had us believing that he could indeed fly! It was without a doubt that he would win the Best Table Topics Speaker award. Our guests, friends of Ian, enthusiastically joined in the impromptu speaking session too. Scott would like to have more than one superpower, while Jim shared what he would do if he could go back in time.

Ian delivering his well prepared Ice Breaker speech

Moving on to the prepared speeches, Ian broke ice in his “It’s my life!” speech. With a caning rod in his hand, he looked ready to whip just about anyone into shape; only to reveal that this was his Chinese school teacher’s tool for discipline. He told the story of how taekwondo changed him and improved his self esteem. He holds a black belt in taekwondo. The delivery of his speech was so smooth, it was apparent that he was a natural and could have passed off as a black belt in Toastmasters. He definitely deserved the Best Project Speaker award.

Enjoying Brenda's speech!

Brenda’s opening story in “Zip up and Move up” hilariously reminded us to zip up before you are out of the house. As usual, she never failed to humor the crowd and left everyone looking forward to her next speech. Freddie’s entertaining speech on “If money is not a problem” was full of wit. He would bring philanthropy to the next level by practically giving out money daily. By the end of his speech, half the audience would not have minded being his cabbie! Last assignment speaker for the evening, Andrew, an avid runner, shared the fun part of his recent marathon in Penang - the food! Not forgetting to remind us that running is a great sport to keep you fit.

Wei Seong’s general evaluation was detailed and constructive for every session of the meeting. He also noted that keeping to the schedule was a challenge, as the meeting was running late. His panel of evaluators, Grace, Soo Loon, Michelle, Yuen Kai and Kim were as engaging as the speakers they evaluated respectively. Kim’s amusing evaluation of “Lazy
Runner does Penang” won her best evaluator, as she described how Andrew’s poker-faced humor delivery was like Astro’s intermittent transmission on a rainy day.

Wei Seong receiving our token of appreciation

Wei Seong also shared with us the importance of mentoring in Toastmasters and the significance of encouraging a new member to select their own mentor, someone they feel at ease with and are able to turn to for guidance.

Tan Lay Theng, Area Governor 2009/2010 presented the following awards to Exact ADC members

District 51 Distinguished Club 2009/2010 – Yeow Yuen Kai
Division W Toastmaster of the Year for Exact ADC – Lai Chee Yoong

Distinguished Club Award for Exact

It was definitely a memorable evening for both clubs and we look forward to having more joint meetings in the future.

Contributed by Caroline Yap, Exact ADC Toastmasters Club

Visit to Perth

I was going to Perth for a holiday and wanted to check out how a Toastmasters meeting was conducted in a foreign country. From Toastmasters International website, I found that out Victoria Park Toastmasters Club is near where I would be staying. I decided to send an email requesting permission for a club visit on 15 November 2010. Within hours, Gerry Prewett replied with a warm invitation to visit his club.

Thanks to Gerry’s map, I managed to locate their venue easily. Not only was he helpful and efficient, he even waived my guest’s fees and proudly gave me a 5 minutes slot as the inspirational speaker, to talk about Malaysia and District 51.

Michelle at Victoria Park Toastmasters Club

The club meeting was held at The Homestead, a senior centre in Victoria Park. I learned that this was a senior centre hall where the public can rent and hold activities such as talks, games and functions.

The program agenda

I reached the place earlier to check it out and helped them set up the meeting room. The hall was very spacious and clean, and we were seated in a horse shoe style arrangement. The Victoria Park members were very punctual and the meeting started on time.

The meeting room

The Toastmaster of the day Robyn Lloyd introduced me as their special guest and after the Grammarian informed everybody the word of the day, I was invited to present my 5 minutes Inspirational talk. I introduced Malaysia and told them about our tourist attractions and what we are famous for, our diversified culture and our 3 main races. Then I shared a little about District 51, the history of how we started in 1985, how we went through our reformation in 2003 with a new District 80 born, and in 2009 how we saw a rapid growth in District 51 that made us undergo another reformation whereby District 87 was born.

Michelle presenting her inspirational speech

The meeting then continued with 2 speakers giving their project speeches. I was engrossed and was amazed on how well they presented their speeches with no speech crutches and managed to capture everyone’s full attention. I learnt a little trick from Sandra Morton’s CC speech no. 2 - Speaking Off the Cuff. She taught us that in Toastmasters, it is always easier to relate a project speech back to one’s personal surroundings and experiences. She quoted “I can talk about my supposedly billionaire uncle or grandma who witnessed the World War 2. Nobody would ever notice if I went a little off topic about the stories I tell, because it is all about me. No one can ever challenge topics relating to me because no one would know the truth better than me, myself and I.”

After the 2 project speeches, they had their Table Topics session followed by Table Topics evaluation. Another 2 speakers then proceeded to present their project speeches. After the project speeches and reporting from the role players, I was given 5 minutes to share my experience of attending this meeting. I took the opportunity to present gift and souvenirs I had bought from Malaysia, to the club and members attending this meeting. The meeting ended on time followed by a short tea session where I got to interact with fellow Toastmasters.

Michelle with members of Victoria Park

Overall I managed to bring home a wealth of knowledge gathered from the meeting, their presentation of speeches, their cheerful spirit and professional conduct throughout the meeting. On top of that, I even made some new friends. We exchanged name cards and Facebook contacts and we have kept in touch since then!

Contributed by Michelle Yip, KPMG KL Toastmasters Club

KPMG Table Topics Contest

Michelle Yip, the new Vice President of Membership of KPMG KL took up the challenge to be the organizing chair for a very fun and interesting Table Topics Contest - Round 1 on 11 December 2010.

We had 5 contestants competing to tell us their embarrassing moment with a 2 mins each.Our Chief Judge cum GE, Min On, gave us valuable advice and tips on how to improve further on our impromptu speeches.

Min On, our Chief Judge cum GE

It was hilarious and truly a very good experience as higher level has been set for KPMG Toastmasters Club.

Round 1 Winners: Aaron(centre), Yi Hoong(second from left) and Grace(left)

Another round of very exciting and competitive Table Topics Contest was held on 15 December.

Fellow contestants and judge

Although there were 7 contestants, the atmosphere of the contest was so friendly yet nerve wrecking. Every contestant was sharing his or her story about "Slow and Steady Wins the Race" fluently. Grace Loh shared about her slow and steady journey in Toastmasters, which truly wins in this race.

Not only were some of the contestants being called upon to contest with short notice, even the topic for this round of contest was impromptu!

Bravo to our organizing chair, Joanita for successfully organizing this contest. Thank you to our judges, Dr Sharon (WIM Toastmasters) and Dr Abu Bakar Ngah (Money Mastery-KL Toastmasters).

Round 2 Winners :

Grace(forth from right), Nasruna(second from right) , Krystle(forth from left)

Contributed by Grace Loh, KPMG KL Toastmasters Club

KL SAC Speech Contests 31.10.10

This was the event that many Toastmasters have been looking forward to, the District 51 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests. We would be witnessing performances from the crème de la crème of each Division. All in all we had the priviledge of enjoying 10 humorous speeches and 10 speech evaluations.

Our Humorous Speech Champion had us laughing out loud at various non-enviable situations in his seriously humorous “Dealing With Flatulence” speech. Our first runner-up was fantastic in her voice impersonations of the various versions of English as spoken by Malays, Chinese and Indians in her “Manglish” speech. Division W Champion Lee Xi Wen’s “Positive Thinking” left an indelible impression on the judges and audience.

Winners of District 51 Humorous Speech Contest with Contest Chair, Division A Governor Azizah and DG Thanni

Humorous Speech Contest
Champion: Ooi Ing Chyuan (Seberang Jaya Toastmasters Club)
1st Runner Up: Zarina Mustafa (USM Toastmasters Club)
2nd Runner Up: Lee Xi Wen (TTDI Toastmasters Club)

For the Evaluation Contest, we literally gasp when the test speaker’s name was announced. It was Stephen Fernando with his speech title “One More Day”. Surely it will be no easy task for the contestants to evaluate the current District 51 International Speech Contest Champion ? However we were not unduly worried, as we know that Toastmasters can achieve greatness when we put our minds to it.

Our Evaluation Champion sprinkled sparkles and winked at Stephen when he said coaxingly, “Let’s work together, Stephen”. Our first runner-up had the voice that any newscaster would die for. As for our Division W Speech Evaluation Champion, he was unfazed by the presence of seasoned contestants and test speaker. It was his first time at a District level contest and he was focused on his task at hand, to deliver a motivating evaluation.

Winners of District 51 Evaluation Contest with Contest Chair, Division W Governor Vincent and DG Thanni

Speech Evaluation Contest
Champion: Muthukumaran Kodiappen (Penang Toastmasters Club)
1st Runner Up: Bernard Louis (D'Utama Advanced Toastmasters Club)
2nd Runner Up: Seetho Whye Kit (TTDI Toastmasters Club)

And now, let us read what two first-timer Convention attendees, Diyana and Shin Ying of KPMG KL Toastmasters Club, have to share with us about attending this marvelous, memorable and magnificent KL Semi Annual Convention.

Diyana writes
Another long awaited session that I enjoyed most was the Humorous Speech Contest. The session was fun and enjoyable to watch. One great quality about all humorous speech contestants is that they are able to make the audience feel connected to their humour. In my opinion, they are all winners !

After attending this Convention, I feel more excited and enthusiastic about completing my CC and CL manuals because I have met so many DTMs during the convention. They have made me believe that if they can accomplish outstanding achievements, so can I !

I hope to be able to attend more Toastmasters conventions in the future.

Shin Ying shares her birthday joy with us
As a first-timer and serving in the Registration Team, it was a great experience to work with my team members and members from other clubs.

I have learnt a lot from the invited guests and speakers. I have learnt that each of us can deliver our speeches with our own style. My personal favourite is Tan Sri Dr. Koh’s opening speech. I really like the humour he injected into his speech. Distinguished Toastmasters such as NJ Singam, Dennis Wee, Meyya, Andy and many others have inspired me tremendously.

It’s simply amazing to learn from their sharing how they managed to juggle their time on work, Toastmasters and other personal commitments.

Sometimes I feel a bit “malu” that I need better time management to contribute to my own club, my work and my studies. I might take a little bit longer as compared to others but I know I will continue to improve and work things out.

Overall, thank you to KPMG for the opportunity given to me to attend this Convention. This is the best birthday present I have ever received !

Thank you to the Organising Committee of KL SAC for a memorable event !

Photos contributed by Yeoh Cheng Lim and Shahrizan Zamri

the Jolly Season and the Jolly Meetings

Let us embrace the true meaning of this season with all the Toastmasters in Area W3!

KPMG Meetings on 11 & 15 December 2010

KPMG is cutting through complexity and attempting our first ever in-house Table Topics Contest, on the these dates

Round (1) Saturday, 11 December 2010 (from 11am to 1pm)
Round (2) Wednesday, 15 December 2010 (from 6pm to 8pm)

We are a young, dynamic club and have continuously produce champions and winners since our club was chartered in 2006.

As the season of celebration is approaching, the first ever fun, relaxing and informal mini contests would boost your Christmas mood! Please email Grace Loh at gloh@kpmg.com.my if you wish to join.

Exact ADC Meeting on 14 December
The 79th Toastmasters meeting of Exact, which happens to be the second last session for 2010 falls on 14 December, 12pm to 2pm.

Since Christmas is round the corner, the theme for this session is “Christmas in the tropics”. Living in the tropical region, all of us are celebrating our warm Christmas in the tropics, with our beloved friends and family members.

Don't miss the golden opportunity to celebrate this joyous time of year with your friends in Exact ADC Toastmasters!


Friendship Meeting on 21 December

The meeting theme is "Make It Happen" and the dress code will be white. Although we have no snow (unless we have a Christmas miracle), that will not stop us from having our very own White Christmas celebration. We will have a mystery speaker who will share with us on tips and techniques of Vocal Variety. This person is not only a Division Speech Contest Champion, but an entertaining and enthusiastic Toastmaster as well.

Special Christmas Table Topics Session will enlighten your merry night and uplift your Christmas mood. Sumptous buffet dinner and cupcakes will be served!

Please contact Chee Hoe at cheehoemology@gmail.com if you wish to join as there are only limited seats left.

The year is almost coming to an end and we have 20 days to "Make It Happen". We hope you will seize the opportunity to improve in your speaking and leadership skills, and have fun as well, at any or all of the above meetings.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Written by Grace Loh, Caroline Yap and Angeline Lee
Compiled by Chee Hoe

KL SAC Plenary Session 30.10.10

KPMG members at the Plenary Session

For Diyana from KPMG KL Toastmasters Club, it was her first time attending a Convention. She shares with us her view about the Convention and the Plenary Session.

First of all, I would like to thank and congratulate the event organizer for making the 18th Semi Annual Convention a success! The event was filled with entertaining and informative programs and I really enjoyed myself. I learned throughout the convention that to be a successful public speaker, there are several important aspects that requires attention, besides just being able to speak. Even though one can obtain these information during our normal club meetings, being able to learn directly from the experts and the best in District 51 has enriched my public speaking skills with refreshing new ideas. I had the opportunity to hear two distinguished plenary speakers - Paisal Sae Lor and Wendy Lee. Both of them shared the same message with us, which was how to be an eloquent speaker but from two different perspectives. Paisal advised us to be confident and to love ourselves. It was a simple message and a very encouraging one to us, to have a strong sense of self-esteem.

Wendy has our full attention

Wendy, on the other hand, shared a few valuable tips on external factors which may affect others’ perceptions towards us - image and style.

Wendy asked who is the Banker, Playboy and Accountant ?

Enthusistic response from the audience when we were asked to vote who is the Playboy !

During the introduction of the third speaker, NJ Singam quoted an Arabian proverb

What comes from the mouth goes to the ears. What comes from the heart goes to the heart.

Our third speaker, Teoh Poh Yew spoke from the heart as she shared with us her stories of her son and his learning challenges, as well as stories of her students in her “Creative Communication Connects” presentation. There are no bad students, she said, only bad teachers.


Our fourth Plenary speaker, DTM Loghandran, presented “Guarantee Your Success through 3 Powerful Cs” which is concentration, consistency and co-operative endeavour. “Success is an effect. What are you passionate about ? What drives you ?” he asked. He recommended giving as much as you can and good things will happen to you.

DTM Loghandran

Sesi Pidato
Dalam sesi yang menarik ini, kami berpeluang mendengar penyampaian daripada seorang tokoh dalam bidang pembicaraan awam. Puan Hamisah Zaharah Hasan daripada Universiti Putra Malaysia ialah seorang pensyarah yang bersifat peramah and mulia. Beliau memang hebat dalam ucapannya dan berjaya memikat serta memukau para hadirin dengan penggunaan tatabahasanya yang sungguh indah.

Pada akhir sesi ini, saya dijemput pula untuk membuat ucapan spontan oleh Presiden Kelab Pidato KL, Dato Dr Mohd Kaisan. Memang tidak disangka saya akan dijemput untuk memberi pandangan ringkas tentang sesi ini.

Gabenor Daerah 51 DTM Thannimalai mengakhiri sesi ini dengan berjanji bahawa Daerah 51 (District 51) akan memberi sokongan penuh terhadap penubuhan Bahagian Pidato (seperti Bahagian Mandarin yang sedia wujud), sekiranya ada permintaan dan minat di kalangan ahli-ahli Toastmasters Daerah 51.

Photos contributed by Yeoh Cheng Lim and Shahrizan Zamri

KL SAC Gala Night 30.10.10

For KPMG members who have been industriously manning the Registration counter since early this morning, they transformed into elegantly dressed Toastmasters by 6 PM and continued with their Registration Counter duties up to 8 PM.

The fabulous KPMG Team

KPMG has been most generous to sponsor the goodies bag that each of us received, and also to sponsor two hotel rooms for their hard-working members during the Convention. Thank you, President Grace and KPMG Team for making all of us feel welcome when we first step into the Convention Hall.

Immediate Past District Governor Ritchie & his wife Wanda

Our VIP, Yang Berhormat Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, presented a very humorous speech. He said that politicians should learn from Toastmasters, as we only have a 1 year term. He had us in laughter when he told us that politicians are not good at keeping secrets. When a meeting has ended, the details of the meeting are leaked even before it is minuted.

As the Gala Night coincide with the finals of Piala Malaysia, when he was asked which team he supported – Kelantan or Negeri Sembilan, he told his friends he supported Toastmasters. It was no mere words. He requested District 51 to establish more Toastmasters clubs in universities.

Dato’ Saifuddin Abdullah receiving a token of appreciation from our Humble & Simple DG Thanni

It is not everyday that you get to witness a Division Governor performing an energetic Indian dance. Even Shakira would have approved of her hip-swinging and nifty dance moves. Joining Division C Governor NK Valli on stage was Meyya, Suhana and Peggy. The ending was fascinating, with Suhana standing on Meyya’s stomach !



Immediate Past District Governor DTM Ritchie Chong presented many awards during this Gala Night of Awards. In particular, Division W collected awards for
· President’s Distinguished Division – Soh Fong Wai
· President’s Distinguished Area for W2, W4 and W7
· Select Distinguished Area for W3 and W6
· Distinguished Area for W1 and W5
· Division W Area Governor of the Year – Cheong Kuok Sum
· Division W Toastmaster of the Year - Dr. Neo Wee Keong

One of the perks of being a Toastmaster in District 51 is that we are able to enjoy performances from talented comedians such as Monty and Logi, from ITC Bintang and Speakers Dream Toastmasters Club respectively, for free. The duo was asked by Gala Night Organising Chair, DTM Zaharah to perform at the Gala Night. Monty recounted that as she walked off after securing a Yes from our duo, she turned back and added, “For Free!”

Monty and Logi

It has a hilarious presentation, leaving us in gales of laugher with their irreverent take on Singaporeans (sorry, they said, we just love making fun of Singaporeans), Indians and even an appearance by “Datuk Samy Vellu”.

“Datuk Samy Vellu” declared, “A politician is only interested in the next election. A stateman is interested in the next generation. That’s why it’s so hard for me to leave”.

On Indians, they joked that 4 Indians will form a union, 3 Indians will form an illegal MIC branch, 2 Indians will create a Bermuda Triangle in Banting and 1 Indian means you will have the longest serving Minister.

It was a night about celebration of achievement, of friendship and fellowship. Along the way, we had loads of laughter and fun and even had time to enjoy the sumptuous 8 course dinner.

Photos contributed by Yeoh Cheng Lim and Shahrizan Zamri