Toa Payoh South TMC as Project Evaluator, 08th January 2020

On the 08^th January 2020, I was at Toa Payoh South Toastmasters Club, as project evaluator.  This was my 140^th club visit on the 192^nd day of the Toastmaster year.

The sergeant-at-arms, as well as Toastmaster of the Day, was Mohamad Hijazi bin Sudarmaji.  The timer was Lam Yong Xian.

Jeannette Poh spoke about the concept of letting go. For her, the lesson was learned in school.  When we do not learn to let go, the only people we hold back are ourselves.

Li Shan Shan reiterated her story of her trip to Hainan in 212, when she was still in school.  They were on a school trip to Hainan to help a village build a wall.  Every time she has told this story, she has always managed to inject new elements, keeping the story fresh.

Anthony Leong shared with us some stories of the two decades of his Toastmasters journey, and this encompassed the early years of Toa Payoh South Toastmasters club.  He reminisced about the Toastmasters come before, many since passed on, the growth of the club, and the times it almost closed.  It reminds us that the clubs we visit have a history built on the work of people many of us may have forgotten.  As such, it is important to respect the legacy of the clubs we visit.

Tan Xian Xun gave an interesting account of his student exchange in Scotland.  He took advantage of his time to travel around Europe.  He spoke about interacting with the locals, attempting to cook local food for them, and the time he was a victim of pickpockets in Barcelona.

Terence Tan S. Y. spoke about our inherent power to influence people, our interpersonal power.  He quoted from “The Power Paradox”, by Dacher Keltner

Oon Sim Sim gave a speech roleplaying a fund raiser for Agape Community Services Centre, with a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation.

The evaluators were Lisa Wong Pui Wan, Hiroshi Kaneko, Peter Max Roth, Paulus Gunadi, Prakash, and myself.

Best Speaker: Jeannette Poh; and

Best Evaluator: Prakash.

There was no table topics session.

Toa Payoh South TMC as Toastmaster of the Day, 13th November 2019

On the 10^th July, I visited Toa Payoh South CC Toastmasters Club, as Toastmaster of the Day.  This was my 115^th club visit, on the 135^th day of the Toastmaster Year.

The table topics master was Anthony Leong.  The timer was Emily Xin Qian.  The ah counter was Lye Rong Fang.

Anthony Leong explained the context of Thanksgiving, which is a form of harvest festival.  It is a commemoration of the previous year’s harvest, and to give thanks for the bounty.  In that same vein, it has been expanded in modern society to give thanks for the “harvest” of our social and professional lives in the previous year.

Yamuna gave an impassionate speech about the necessity for schools to prepare children for careers in a rapidly changing economy.  Considering the needs of he fourth industrial revolution, she feels that curriculum has not kept up with this rapid change.  It is one of the great challenges for all stakeholders in the education sector.  She gave a stark demonstration of education, and policy directives, and expounded on the limitations of the system.  She put forth possible solutions based on the experience in India.

Vasanthi Jagannathan Ravi roleplayed as a media representative of an investment bank, at a press conference.  The subject was the misconduct of an investment banker, and how the bank assured the public that it would be addressing this.  This was her take on an event that was in the news.

Joanne Sweti d’Souza attempted a humorous speech about her crushes.  She spoke about the men she fell for, the men who fell for her, and her courtship for her arranged marriage.

The evaluators were Gerald Ong Wen Shun, Sivanesan K. Murugayan, Paulus Gunadi, and Arinjay Bansal.

Best Speaker: Vasanthi Jagannathan Ravi;

Best Evaluator: Arinjay Bansal; and

Best Table Topics Speaker: Myself.

Toa Payoh South TMC as General Evaluator, 09th October 2019

On the 09^th October 2019, I was at Toa Payoh South Toastmasters Club, as general evaluator.  This was my 84^th club visit on the 101^st day of the Toastmaster year.

The sergeant-at-arms, and ah counter, was Vasanthi Jagannathan Ravi.  The Toastmaster of the Day was. Jasmine Faith Vahdati.  The language evaluator was Angela Lansbury.  The timer  was Emily Xin Qian.

Li Shan Shan gave a short address on the need for us to be certain, and not be discombobulated.  We may inadvertently confuse others, but we should not confuse ourselves.

Ivan Lee Kuan Seng recounted his time leading a team in a volunteer organisation, serving senior citizens, and retirees.  They learned that one of the greatest challenges was catering, due to the varied dietary needs of these people for religious, cultural, but mostly medical, reasons.

Tony Tan Sein Wee explained to us the evolution of his communication style.  He expounded on the various styles he went through, at different phases of his life, from the transmission style of engagement to being empathetic.

Mohamad Hijazi bin Sudarmaji gave us his definition of a leader, and contrasted that with being a boss, or a manager.  He said that managers light fires under their people, whereas leaders light fires within them.

Li Shan Shan attempted a challenging topic, speaking impromptu on two different topics, and making it humorous.  This would be one of the most difficult speeches to make for anybody.

The evaluators were Loh Ne Kyean, Sam Chou, Ho Chiu Lin, and Ivan Lee Kuan Seng.

Best Speaker: Mohamad Hijazi bin Sudarmaji; and

Best Evaluator: Ivan Lee Kuan Seng.

There was no table topics session.