Senja Cashew TMC as Toastmaster of the Day, 25th September 2019

On the 25^th September 2019, I was at Senja Cashew Toastmasters Club, as Toastmaster of the Day.  This was my 68^th club visit, on the 87^th day of the Toastmaster year.

The table topics master was Sivanesan K. Murugayan.  The language evaluator was Angela Lansbury.  The timer was Kendi Su.

Laura Xue Rong spoke of her journey.  She grew up in China, and studied very hard to get out of her village in Guangzhou, moving to Shanghai, and from there, to Macau.  From Macau, her husband and her moved to Singapore.  There were tremendous challenges adjusting to Singapore, and she joined Toastmasters to improve her English.

Prajakta Wanjari gave a speech about laughter, and humour.  She spoke about how laughter is cleansing, and introduced us to laughter yoga.

Toh Chee Siong spoke about the steps required to create a learning organisation.  He said that we should not be afraid to make mistakes, since we learn from them.  It is unfortunate that for many of us, there is this culture of fear, this aversion to risk, that stymies our growth, and stigmatises failure.  He delved at length on the need to create a psychologically safe space for growth.

Jen Chen Ying Zhen gave a chemical engineer’s guide to buying skin care products.  She gave a very technical, and informative analysis, on how to choose skin care products, and what to look out for, in the ingredient list.

Gideon Chew told a story about his dream secondary school when he was a child, and how it turned out to be a disappointment.  However, he decided to adjust his attitude, to participate, and he gained much from the experience.  He learned, then, that attitude shaped everything.  He then told of the time he almost lost control of his rental care, and was very close to running down a pedestrian.  It was a lesson, and he learned to be very careful.  His talk was about turning negatives into positives.

Saju John said that society needs good stories to pass on its values and information, because that is how people absorb knowledge best.  He regaled us with the apocryphal tale of a moneylender who lusted after the daughter of his creditor, and how she managed to outsmart him.

The project evaluators were Alvin Ho, Bertram Yang Liang Yu, Jonathan Xian Zhe, Li Shan Shan, Ivan Lee Kuan Seng, and Jen Chen Ying Zhen.

Best Speaker: Gideon Chew;

Best Evaluator: Bertram Yang Liang Yu; and

Best Table Topics Speaker: Guest.