5 down, 3 to go

had the chance of being the table topics master for my 5th session in toastmasters.
what i was require to do was to give 6 - 8 random topics and picking one of the fellow speechcrafters to talk about the topic for 1 minute.

For this session, i used visual aids to present my table topics. I was commended for that as it is one of the first time that they come across a table topics master presenting with slides.

thanks to denise again for looking up the fantastic photos for each of the topics below

1) what was your first feeling when you wake up to dust storm last week
2) ppl always say men drivers and better than females. What are your views?
3) If I had million dollars........
4) Besides unlocking, what are the other function of keys?
5) If you could be an animal for a day, what would it be and why?
6) Are we over-dependent of technology nowadays
7) What was your most embarassing moment?
8) First thing that comes to your mind when you see this picture

told you, you idiot.
what comes up have to come back down.
wrong timing. should have known.

hard nut to crack. f-ing irritating nut to crack. idiot.

What Goes Up, Have to Come Down

Is been pretty good this week.

In terms of life, relationships, work and presentations.

The graph for me has been on a steady increasing. Like all graphs, what goes up have to come down. Life is a roller-coaster. Something will always be there to bring you back to earth, to realise that over-confident is not a positive thing.

Its always good to always review, evaluate, revisit yourself to improve as a person.

Reviews and evaluations are very important. But over-step the line. It become critcisms.

Have to be careful about that.

I can sense the graph is coming down. Its my duty to bring it up again.

have a good weekend!

4 down 4 to go

did my second presentation for Toastmasters. A "Be In Earnest" speech.

Objective of this speech is to talk about something that you are really very comfortable about in order to show your sincerity, earnestness and your ability to speak with lesser reference to the notes.

I think I did pretty well on that. Just on 2 notes, I went over time and I said "SHIT" which is a no no in this professional presentation environment. I think I kinda got too comfortable and to a certain extent over confident of what I'm presenting. For the first time, there was no nervousness after I got through my 3rd sentence which completed one of the aims of the speech, that is to transfer your nervousness to a positive energy for a topic that you totally have convictions about.

I spoke what a 'F' country Singapore is. Everybody got stunned by the topic when it was introduced which is the reaction that I wanted. 'F' has a big significance for Singapore

F = First. A380 (Flying). Flyer. Floating Platform. Night SaFari, Formula 1.

F = Fine, Fines

F = Food.

Thanks to Denise for creating my powerpoint presentation with Fantastic Fotos and great colour combination. I was being evaluated and the first comment was the on my visual aids. From the slides, the audience were able to know that a lot of effort was put into the presentation and that I valued the speech. Good pictures with clear resolution. Thanks DENISE once again for her creativity and hard work

I think I've learn 2 things about presentation here

1. Practice, Practice and Practice

2. Know your audience. Once you know them, you wont feel that they are against you, which makes you calm down more.

Did not fare too well at table topics. Will be a table topics master next week where I'll be speaking for 10 minutes. OoooOOooo..

i have to keep in mind that = I'm still not there yet with presenting and dont be over-confident

Tips for Guys

Determine Your Budget When a guy's shopping for an engagement ring, salespeople often do a sneaky thing – they make him think that the amount of his love is tied to how much he spends on a ring. Better to figure out how much you can afford to spend before you step foot in a store. The standard rule is two months salary – but – this is also a rule that the diamond industry created! However it's still a decent place to start, but then figure out your personal budget.

Choose a Stone While jewelers will sell you a preset ring, you can often get a better deal if you choose the diamond separately. It helps if you know what shape your sweetheart wants – round, pear, marquis, etc. The most classic shape is a round solitaire. Another money saving tip – look for a diamond with high color and cut, but with slightly lower clarity. Make sure you look at the stone with a jeweler's loupe (like a magnifying glass) – but most flaws (or "inclusions") can barely be seen even with a loupe.

Maximize Your Budget If your intended is always talking about huge diamond engagement rings, but two months of your salary wouldn't buy a Big Mac, you're going to have to stretch the budget. Ask for a stone with more surface area – it won't sparkle as much but it will look bigger. Ask for stones that are slightly less than the next carat (0.8 instead of 1 or 1.9 instead of 2) – the almost indiscernible difference can add up to big savings. Instead of a diamond solitaire engagement ring, consider a less expensive center gemstone (such as tourmaline, blue topaz, sapphire) flanked by two small diamonds.

Get a Buddy Don't go into a jewelry store alone. They're scary places full of way too many choices. If you can, bring your sweetheart's best friend or mom along to help you choose. But if you're worried they'll spill the beans, bring a trusted buddy of yours. Make sure they have taste, or you'll be trying to propose with a ringpop. Also, assuming they like the person you're buying it for, this is a great moment to bond with your parents and get their advice

Get it In Writing Would you buy a house without an inspection? No? Well then don't buy a diamond without an independent diamond-grading report from the GIA or the American Gem Society. It should include the 4 c's of color, cut, clarity and carat, as well as the shape and size. And, like your house, don't forget to get the ring insured.

3 down 4 to go

what i've learnt at toastmasters today was something new.
I've learnt to evaluate others and I think it is important to know my evaluation skills and letting people know of the comments in a tactful way.

Evaluation skills make you think what the other party is trying to say, concentrating on their contents and making your mind work while others are speaking.

Honestly, I didnt do a good job of evaluating my fellow speechcrafter. Because I would have to present my comments in 5 mins after the speech from the person i'm evaluating. Being unprepared, I stammered and stuttered and in 2 mins, i said 8 uhm/ahs. Not good.

Anyway, good learning experience and I look forward to the next session which I'm suppose to present on a random subject for 3 - 5 minutes.

until next Thursday

Touch Rugby

went for touch rugby tournament with my company for the past month.
just got back from a game today with the top team. Yes, as expected, we got thrashed.
not that we hadn't be thrashed before, but today, the team was really quick.

did a few mistakes that went on to concede a try to the opponent. quite disappointed with myself, because I know I can play the game, just doesn't have the physical fitness to match up with my team mates and opponents.

keep subbing myself because I was out of breath. and ran out of stamina. I should tell myself to keep staying in the team to get more minutes of the game. now i understand the meaning of working with your team mates. if you don't work with them, don't run with them, the outcome is zero. same for everything off the field. I have to work with people to get things done. not avoid by subbing myself.

Top 10 songs at the moment

in no particular order

Guy Sebastian - Like It Like That
Jessica Mauboy - Up Down
David Guetta Feat Akon - Sexy Bitch
I Know You Want Me - Pitbull
Evacuate The Dancefloor - Cascada
Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone
Do It Again - Cassie Davies
Obsessed - Mariah Carey
Aleesha Dixon - The Boy Does Nothing
Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way (Classic)

Paramics

This is what I've done and will be doing for next few years in my career. I think. Paramics modelling. Basically, it is a micro-simulation model set up to simulate different scenarios to assess the traffic impacts. Good presentation tool if the model is satisfactory. Headaches if the models aint working the way you want them to work.

Set up the complicated intersection this evening. Pretty satisfied with myself for being able to complete that. and the model is looking good. gotta fine tune it tomorrow morning, fingers crossed.

Anyway, few of my collegues are leaving one after another. Kinda feel sad. But they have their reasons. Hopefully, the team will stay strong together and not fall apart like what others outside the team are hoping.

I'll do my part and hope things pan out well for myself and the team

Organising

Credits to all organisers. Whether they are organising a big event or a small event. Every little effort is required to ensure that everyone has their fun.

I'm not good at this. But I want to.

Something is learn from organising today's outing for the match between Sydney FC vs North Queensland Fury FC to catch a glimpse of Robbie Fowler.

1. Never let your guard down.

2. Never avoid.

3. Never easy.

4. Be decisive.

5. Avoid diverted attention

It was all right. Not great fun. But ok. A few bumps along the way.

Can't satisfied everyone. But I should give myself a pat on my back. I think I should.

never avoid and try to organise more of it. practice makes perfect. not avoiding.

Sydney FC 0 - 1 North Queensland Fury

Match Attended: Sydney FC vs North Queensland Fury

Venue: Sydney Football Stadium

Full - Time Score 0-1

Half - Time Score 0-0

Highlight of the Match: John Aloisi missing a first half penalty and Robbie Fowler scoring a superb volley.

Comments: Been following EPL for quite some and is geat to see a player like Robbie Fowler in Australia LIVE.

2 down 6 to go

survived another toastmasters session.
weeks seems very long with the toastmasters meeting on Thursday.

presented about myself on the 2nd session. went well. still had a few jitters. but the comments that came back were pretty good. *phew*

tip is to prepare. never think that you can just go up the stage and just speak words.

i survived the table topics as well. easy topic this time.

will be an evaluator this coming week. something new and kinda "on-the-spot".

until next week....

1 down 7 to go

I'm talking about the Toastmasters course.

8 lessons in total. Manage to get through the first one just as I expected.

Overall, I think it is fairly a good course to be in to practice impromptu speeches and improving communication and presentation skills. What's included in the session includes

- presentation,

- evaluation of fellow speakers by presenting your findings to the floor,

- time-keeping report (yes, presentation again), where you report at the end of the session how did everyone go with their time limit

- grammer report indicating how many "uhmm" and "ah" are there through out the night

-positive feedback and constructive criticsms

- table topics (something I loathe but Denise said I handled it quite well) where someone just called up your name, give you a topic and you have 1 minute to speak about it..

e.g "you are a leader of a political party, you walk into a room without a speech prepared, however, the crowd is waiting for your address." Pls begin....

My mind just went blank being the first one of the night to be called upon for this assignment. Imagine 20 pairs of eyes looking at you, waiting for your response. Afraid to say the wrong things at the wrong time, I stared back and begin my thinking process but ain't not fast enough. With some help, I manage to speak on a more comfortable topic, "favourite restaurant". I guess if you give me a topic, I'm able to handle it. But role-playing, I might find it a bit hard to get my head processing. Is hard to act, but it is important to learn to do so.

1 session down, 7 to go, 3 more presentations, 1 evaluation and 1 reporting to do. WoooHoo.. I better open my mouth and switch on my brains. Doesn't help that the course is held after work.

Seriously hope my skin is thick enough and I'm able to get some good out of the course. Have a good weekend.

Finding...

the inner energy to drive me higher
motivation to strive for success
innovation for smarter working
in-slackation to make full use of office hours
challenges to complete work in time

work forms part of your life. and if you succeed in work, the same applies for life.

need a shark around in my pond. bring it on.