AIA Toastmasters Club’s 19th Executive Committee Installation: Leadership Changes Hands, Standards Do Not

On the 14^th July 2022, AIA Toastmasters Club held its 19^th Executive Committee Installation, drawing 120 attendees, including Chief Executive Officer Wong Sze Keed and Head, Centre of Business Excellence, Tied Distribution, Edwin Cheng.  An installation of this scale, with senior AIA leadership physically present rather than sending a token video message, signals something most clubs never achieve: genuine corporate recognition that a Toastmasters programme is contributing to the business, not merely occupying a lunch hour once a month.

The Appointment Holders

Adeline Ng, VC5, of the Toastmasters Club of Singapore, served as Guest Speaker.  John Sih, DTM, of Breakthrough Toastmasters Club, served as Language Evaluator.  Mach Dayrit, PI3, of AIA Toastmasters Club, and Regine Sim Lee Ching, DL2, of Pasir Ris Elias Toastmasters Club, served jointly as Toastmasters of the Day.  Iris Lim served as Table Topics Master.  Zhuo Shu Zhen served as Sergeant-at-Arms.  Ariel Wu served as Timer.  Eileen Chan, Linda Lee, MS1, Rominia Sarte, PI1, Shirley ChiaLi, DL1, and Zhuo Shu Zhen, DTM, served jointly as Creative Directors of the Day, a five-person creative team that says something about how seriously this club treats an installation ceremony's production value.  Jeffrey Lim served as Photographer.

The Awards

Linda Lee, MS1, received Club Toastmaster of the Year.  Mach Dayrit, PI3, received Recruiter of the Year.  Rominia Sarte, PI1, received Newcomer Toastmaster of the Year.  Special recognition went to the club’s mentors and advisors: Eric Tan, DTM; Linda Lee, MS1; Terence Nunis, DTM; and Zhuo Shu Zhen, DTM.

The Transition

Frances Goh, PI4, President for 2021 to 2022, was discharged alongside Vice-President, Education, Kiki Tai, MS3; Vice-President, Membership, Mach Dayrit, PI3; Vice-President, Public Relations, Shirley Chia, DL2; Secretary Sandra Phua, PM1; Treasurer Maria Abraham, DL1; Sergeant-at-Arms Chng Pia Kim, EC2; and Immediate Past President Terence Nunis, DTM.

The 2022 to 2023 Executive Committee was installed in their place.  Sandra Phua, PM1, moved from Secretary to President.  Kevin Lim, MS1, took Vice-President Education.  Eric Tan took Vice-President Membership.  Rominia Sarte, PI1, moved from Newcomer Toastmaster of the Year to Vice-President, Public Relations within the same ceremony, a genuinely fast trajectory from new member to committee officer.  Chng Pia Kim, EC2, moved from Sergeant-at-Arms to Secretary.  Amos Yio took Sergeant-at-Arms.  Frances Goh, PI4, remained on as Immediate Past President, ensuring institutional continuity rather than a clean break, severing the incoming committee from the outgoing one’s accumulated judgement.

The CEO’s Remarks

Wong Sze Keed spoke of her pride in club membership, and set the committee a specific, unambiguous challenge: increase membership exponentially.  A CEO who sets a Toastmasters club a growth target with the same directness she would apply to a sales division is not treating the club as a soft perk.  She is treating it as a pipeline for the communication capability the wider organisation actually needs.

The Word of the Day, & a Winning Speech Previewed

John Sih, DTM, set the word of the day as “valiant,” delivered with the kind of entertaining precision that has cemented his reputation as one of the strongest language evaluators in the District.  Adeline Ng, VC5, District International Speech Champion for 2021 to 2022, gave the room an early preview of her winning speech, a story of confronting fear personified as a bear, and conquering what holds a person back.  Toastmasters International’s own World Championship of Public Speaking draws over 30,000 entrants annually across more than 100 countries, narrowed through club, area, division, and district rounds to a mere handful of finalists.  A District Champion standing in this room, rehearsing the exact speech that will carry her toward that global stage, was not a courtesy appearance.  It was a preview of genuine competitive credibility, on display before the club that will be able to say, years from now, that it watched the speech first.

The Table Topics

Wekie Tay, DTM, of NUS Toastmasters Club and Telok Blangah Toastmasters Club; Julie Ong, DTM, of Leng Kee Advanced Toastmasters Club; Hyder Taufik, PM2, of Tampines Changkat Toastmasters Club; and Zeph Teo, PM2, also of Tampines Changkat Toastmasters Club, took the floor for Table Topics.  Hyder Taufik, PM2, won the segment.

Closing

AIA Toastmasters Club recorded its gratitude to AIA Singapore and to Toastmasters District 80 for their continued support.  A 19^th installation is not a milestone many clubs reach with this much institutional weight still standing behind it.  Executive committees change every year by design.  What should not change, and evidently has not, is a club capable of drawing its own CEO into the room to set the next committee’s target in person.

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Terence Nunis | Executive Chairman, Equinox Zenith | Author, The 1% Playbook: The Billionaire Cheat Code

Changes to AIA Shield Plans

Due to medical inflation, AIA Singapore will be revising the premiums and benefits for its Shield plan suite.

The Etiquette of Sexual Intercourse

The following is my humorous take on how to have sex, as extracted from various sources, including years of personal misadventure.  I would credit this, if I can find the original source for some of these points.  This is from a male perspective.  This is especially useful in an age where too many young men get their sex education from watching pornography. 

Not Kissing Her First

You should start by lightly kissing her.  On the lips.  Do not be one of those men who go straight to the fun zones, and slurp at it like a toothless cannibal.  You are not paying by the hour for a ride at the adult carnival.  You are trying to make her feel special.  A proper, passionate kiss, should be the start of great foreplay. 

Blowing Too Hard in Her Ear

Men who watch romantic comedies, or had talks with their female best friend, probably heard that some girls love it when you blow in her ear.  Not all women are the same.  Regardless, there is a difference between blowing lightly into her ear, and re-enacting the jet stream of a hawk dive-bombing a rabbit.  You do not want to be that guy who reminded her that Hurricane Katrina came in her ear, saliva and all. 

Unwrapping Her

She wants to feel sexy and wanted.  Get her out of those clothes like you are unwrapping an expensive present.  Do not leave her hanging with her head stuck in her top, while her hand is trapped in the sleeves, or something like that.  You are not tearing the wrapping of your food delivery. 

The Clothes Trap

For many men, items of women’s clothing can be tricky.  They may be difficult to remove while engaging in foreplay.  There are clasps, ties, and zippers.  Instead of trying to manoeuvre that obstacle course, ask her to help you take it off.  She will not be happy if you tear it, and it turns out to be expensive. 

Do Not Undress Prematurely

This is not a race.  Let her make the first move, undo a few buttons, or move for the zipper before helping her with your clothes.  It looks awkward when you are in your birthday suit, and she is still all dressed up, especially on the first date.  It is a turn-off when you have shared a kiss or two, and you whip out your baton, or worse still, throw everything off. 

Undressing in the Right Order

Get your clothes off from the top first.  It looks sexy.  A man with short and socks, with nothing in between, hardly looks appealing. 

Squeezing Her Breast

It is fine to squeeze her breast.  It is not okay to role-play a housewife testing melons at the supermarket.  Stroke them, caress them, perhaps fondle them.  Do not massage them like a demented baker playing with dough. 

Biting He Nipples

Flick your tongue across her nipples.  Gently suck on them.  Some girls may like it when you bite them.  Most of them do not.  Nipples are very, very sensitive.  They are not chew toys.  They are not balloons you deflate by biting the nipples. 

Twisting Her Nipples

By all means, play with the nipples.  Do not fiddle with them like you are trying to find reception on your radio from the fallout shelter, looking for other survivors.  Focus on the whole breast, not just the nipples. 

Giving Her Love Bites

Exerting gentle suction on the face is erotic.  Trying to suck her blood through the skin like a demented leech is not.  She does not want to look like she has major allergies and ticks. 

Not Shaving

Either have proper facial hair, or be clean-shaven.  A stubble is the worst thing for a woman.  At some stage, it is like having a toilet brush strapped to your chin.  When you go down on you, she is not moving her head side to side out of ecstasy.  She is in pain, and you are exfoliating her clitoris and labia. 

Ignoring the Rest of the Body

A woman’s body is not just a playground with fours rides: the breast, the ass, and the tunnel down under.  Before you go bombing down Vaginaville, spend time discovering her other erogenous zones, such as the neck, the back of the knee, the inner thighs, and the small of the back. 

The Sensual Massage

You need to caress her body in a sensual, relaxing manner.  You want her in the mood.  That means light tickles with your fingers and your lips, not elbow strikes and kneeing her in the groin.  You are not kneading dough, or tenderising your lamb shank. 

Foreplay Wedgie

Stroke her sensuously through her panties.  That is sexy.  Sawing her between the thighs with her own panties is not.  It is painful. 

Attacking the Clitoris

The clitoris is not an “on” button for a living sex doll.  It is a very sensitive part of the woman’s anatomy.  No direct pressure, and no flicking it.  Gently rotate your fingers alongside it.

Fixating on the Vagina

Most men can find the clitoris without a map, but the vagina is not the boundary of foreplay.  Sliding your fingers into the vagina is not the same as stuffing a turkey for Thanksgiving.  Massage and play with the clitoris and labia, and then move in.  Sometimes, it takes time to lubricate enough for you to slide anything in. 

Performing Oral Sex Too Gently

When you start, it is better to be gentle.  It is seductive and sensual.  But you are not trying to fix a broken watch with your tongue.  You keep that up, and she feels nothing.  Get down there, and put in a shift.  Flick your tongue across the clitoris, push it in, and lick like your sex life depends on it – it does. 

Pushing Her Head to Your Crotch

When she has not made the move, pushing her eyeball to penis will not automatically result in mouth to penis action.  You are not getting that blowjob.  Sex is reciprocation.  You need to go down on her before she does, unless you are a couple engaged in regular sex.  Sex is not you dragging her by her hair to your cave. 

Thrusting During a Blowjob

Never, ever thrust.   Never grab her hair, and try and move her head around, while thrusting.  Getting a penis into the mouth is hard work for her. 

Playing with Her Anus

Men can be easily anally stimulated because they have a prostate gland.  Women do not have one. 

Giving Instructions

This is not the Olympics, and sex is not a contact sport.  You are not a coach barking instructions through a megaphone, or a judge criticising her on form. 

Going Too Hard

Do not wantonly bash your hipbones against her thighs.  It is painful.  You want her to climax, not rupture a cervix.  Sex should be enjoyable.  It should not feel like riding a plank edgewise on a rollercoaster. 

Going Too Fast

When thrusting, there should be a certain rhythm.  You are not digging a new tunnel through the mountains with an industrial tool.  You are not a machine on an assembly line screwing in bolts on a car chassis.  Start slowly, with clean straight movements, and then build it up to a regular rhythm.  The worst thing that can happen is that you might fracture your penis. 

Taking a Break

When it comes to orgasms, women are different from men.  Whether it is intercourse itself, or cunnilingus, the moment you stop or slow down, they go right back to zero, and you have to start all over again.  If she is not there, or if you are not sure, keep at it, numb jaw, muscle cramps and all. 

Making Her Ride Too Long

Having her on top is fine.  Some women even prefer it.  Do not just lie there, grunting a death metal song, while she is playing rodeo.  Move your hands, caress her sides, play with her breasts, look at her.  She wants to feel loved, not feel like the boatswain on a row boat caught in a squall.  Remember to change positions, and let her rest. 

Squashing Her

Men are often bigger and weight more than women.  If you lie on her heavily, she will have problems breathing.  That tends to be a turn-off. 

Attempting to Enter Her Anus & Pretending You Made a Mistake

If you want to go there, ask permission.  If you have permission, test it with a finger first.  You do not attempt to slide a penis in there, and think she will believe you took a wrong turn at the perineum junction.  No woman is stupid enough.  If she is drunk enough, the pain will make her sober. 

Talking Dirty

Some women like it, and some do not.  Not a lot of women want to listen to phone sex line while getting on with it.  Sometimes, even if they may like it, they may not like it when it comes from you.  Practice your bed talk. 

Slapping Stomachs Together

This is about as sexy as a burping contest.  Do not do it. 

Behaving Like You were in a Pornographic Movie

Women do not love it when you take it out, and then ejaculate all over her.  It is messy, and many women think it is disgusting. 

Arranging Her in Stupid Poses

Women are not interested in trying out every single pose in the Kama Sutra.  They are not doing advanced bed yoga.  You cannot have sex if she snapped a hamstring, or twisted a knee. 

Coming Too Soon

Unless you see her eyes roll back like she is possessed, and she is grinding her teeth, and breathing like a rabid wolf on a hunt, hold it back as long as possible.  If you do come early, you better have a backup plan to get in there, and plug at it until she orgasms. 

Taking Too Long to Climax

If you can keep humping her for hours, that is not the sign of a sex god.  There is probably a numb vagina beneath it all.  There are no prices for keeping at it too long, and no world record worth keeping.  If you are going to play marathon man, have nice patterns on your ceiling to entertain her.  The moment she climaxes enough, you let go, and move on to pillow talk, or snoring away. 

Asking if She Came

Never, ever, ever do that.  It destroys the mood, and you probably have to start all over again.  Women change when they are about to come.  They make noises, they breathe raggedly, they start grabbing things.  You will know. 

Climaxing into Her Mouth without Warning

Sperm does not have a nice taste.  That taste varies according to our diet, but it is generally like seawater mixed with stale yoghurt and egg white.  Warm her before you ejaculate, and let her make the choice. 

Make Sure She Climaxes

You have one job – make sure she climaxes.  Get this right, and you will be repaid in turn.  Mess this up, and there is not only not going to be a next time, but all her friends might know. 

Thanking Her

No woman wants to be thanked for sex.  It makes her feel cheap.  She is not doing charity, she is not running the Salvation Army for the horny.

Quora Answer: What Personal Story Can We Share for a Humorous Toastmasters Ice Breaker Speech?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “What is the best thing in one’s life one can talk about for a Toastmasters ice breaker speech? I want it to be humorous.” 

This is difficult to answer since we are all different.  You have had an entire life, your hero’s journey.  As such, pick an event, something that you feel is significant, and resonates with an audience.  It has to be a story of failure and triumph, or a journey of discovery, or even a poignant moment in your life.  When you examine your life, and consider it with an artistic license, there are thousands of stories you can tell.  However, there are some conventions you should adhere to. 

Firstly, begin with an opening statement.  People need to know where to begin.  You then craft that story with this opening statement as an anchor.  In the course of your story, stick to one event.  Focus on depth, as opposed to breadth.  When you are done with that, circle back to that opening statement, and make it inclusive.  That statement has now become a call to action.  That is the intent of the speech. 

Humour is a challenging aspect of speech, if you are not, naturally, a funny person.  You need to practice telling jokes, and making witty remarks.  That is a skill acquired over time.  In the mean time, you can “borrow” humour by building your story around a humorous quote.  Humour is found in the delivery.  That means slowing own your speech, and varying your pitch.  You also need to embrace the uncomfortable pause at the end of the joke to give the audience time to laugh.  For newer speakers, that takes courage.  You can consider situational humour, in which case, your powers of description must be honed.  Alternatively, play with words and engage in misdirection as a form of humour.  This requires mastery of timing coupled with deadpan delivery.  The only way to be good, is to start.

Quora Answer: Will the UK Forward Deploy a Royal Navy Frigate to Singapore in the Next Few Years?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “Will the UK forward deploy a Royal Navy frigate to Singapore in the next few years?” 

No, that is not the conversation.  This was based on an informal proposal originally floated that the 2016 Shangri-La Dialogue, by Sir Michael Cathel Fallon, who was Secretary of State for Defence at that time.  The actual suggestions was to send a UK carrier strike group to Asia on its inaugural deployment.  This was part of their global re-posturing effort.  The UK public had just voted for Brexit, China was being more belligerent in the South China Sea and projecting force in the East Pacific, and the UK and US were secretly in the process of forming the AUKUS trilateral security arrangement with Australia. 

As of last year, the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and escort ships have completed a tour of the region.  It had a complement of US Marine F-35B squadron onboard.  This was a significant show of power.  In that time, the carrier group took part is several manoeuvres and exercises with regional navies, including the Indian Navy.  As of this time, there is still a stated intent to deploy Littoral Response Group (LRG) late in 2023.  This LRG is likely to be focused on the Indian Ocean, with a refit and refueling in Sembawang Naval Base, Singapore and the UK Joint Logistics Support Base (UKJLSB) within the al-Duqm Port & Drydock of Duqm, Oman. 

As per the terms of AUKUS, it is also possible that Australian will offer basing access to facilitate regular deployments of UK nuclear attack submarines, at HMAS Stirling, Western Australia.  This is more relevant to reinstating Royal Navy submarine presence in the eastern Indian Ocean.  As of now, there are no plans for there to be a permanent base anywhere in the Indian or Pacific Ocean, let alone Singapore.  Furthermore, it is unlikely Singapore would offer that to the UK, and risk being seen as part of the American camp against China.  Singapore wants to maintain the appearance of neutrality. 

At the moment, there are two patrol vessels in the area.  They are not much for force projection, but are there more to demonstrate presence.  It is more than likely that the Royal Navy facility in Sembawang Naval Base, Singapore, will serve as the primary logistics hub.  The UK will eventually upgrade the patrol vessels to Type-31 frigates.  However, this does not constitute an actual forward deployment to Singapore.