Thursday, October 9, 2014

Third Quarter of 2014

Half of 2014 was gone and things had gotten even crazy! In the month of July, I joined the second Toastmasters Club family, Penang Toastmasters Club. I had been visiting the club as a visiting toastmaster for more than 6 months and finally decided to be part of them. Why? I love their culture – focusing more on a member’s development instead of whether or not the club achieved Distinguished Club and onwards. They celebrate more on any member’s achievement instead of the fact that the club gained a DCP point.

2014-07-01 22.56.57

I made my trip down to Kuala Lumpur. I finally had a taste on this famous sashimi that my Point One Group had been talking about. The shop serves fresh sashimi and it is not expensive at all! Where is it at? Taman OUG! You gotta check it out! Since I stayed longer during this trip, the cyber boyfriend brought me to taste loads of nice food and I also made a new friend. I stayed longer than planned so I could hang out more with him. Oh, guess what? I saw the pissed off side of his and it was spine-chilling. Do not ever ever mess with him, okay?

2014-07-14 17.08.32

It was my very first time to receive Best Evaluator award in MEF Toastmasters Club’s meeting. It did boost my motivation to take part in the coming Evaluation Contest.

2014-07-17 22.29.04

Also, I finally gave my fourth project speech after 6 months. I stopped giving speech because I did not get any  good encouragement from the previous evaluators. I guess evaluators really play an important role. You may risk a member not giving a speech for such a long time. My case is one of the great examples. However, since I had joined Penang Toastmasters Club, I would like to see what they could offer me. That was why I gave my fourth speech, which, in my personal opinion, is the hardest project to do. Probably I set high expectations for myself. I requested Papa Gerald Green to be my evaluator and little did I know I would win The Best Speaker during the meeting. Thank you.

2014-07-22 16.18.42

July was a crazy month. Why did I say so? It was full with Club’s term end appreciation and installation activities as well as Club’s contests. One of the Wednesday, I attended Dell Dynamic Toastmasters Club’s Appreciation and Installation Dinner and after that I rushed for BM Bigfoot Toastmasters Club’s Humorous Speech and Speech Evaluation Contests. One of my good friends was competing in Speech Evaluation Contest. Therefore, I wanted to be there to give him a support. Boy he did not disappoint me. He won! Congratulations!

2014-07-23 22.23.07_副本

Last year, I celebrated my Raya in Kuala Lumpur. No exception for this year! And I had another happening trip in Kuala Lumpur. You can read all about it here.

2014-07-26 08.42.05

July ended with Raya holiday and August started with MEF’s Appreciation Dinner. It was a great day as before the dinner, some of us went for a karaoke session. Though there were not many activities during the dinner, we had great company – each other! I believe everyone had a good time so, good job to Eng Wah who organised this dinner.

P8090808

It went on to MEF Toastmasters Club’s Humorous Speech and Speech Evaluation Contests. It was my very first time to take part in a contest. I competed in Speech Evaluations and trust me, I had many great contenders. I managed to grab third prize though. Surprisingly I was neither disappointed nor upset. I was more motivated! Who was the champion? It was my good friend, Gurmeet! So he had already swept away two champions in two clubs. Nice.

DSC02011

Coming to the end of August was an even bigger Toastmaster event waiting for me, International Toastmasters Convention 2014, woohoo! I was really lucky as I had a company training on the day before the first day of the convention. Therefore, I went down to Kuala Lumpur with my manager instead of the initial plan. Unforgettable event happened that night but I will not go into details about it.

Anyway, the convention was really an eye-opening event. I was inspired by all the speakers and learned a lot from everyone. The stay was greater with right company – Chee Teng, David, Gurmeet, YS and Mike! We complement each other really well so, those 5-day stay turned out awesome. We even had a surprise birthday celebration for Gurmeet. Those who were not close to him were so worried that he would find out. I reassured them that Gurmeet is not that smart to find out. So mean of me. However, I was right! It was so freaking obvious but he did not realise. There were a number of funny moments that only us will understand.

Now I am looking forward to Semi Annual Convention in Petaling Jaya this coming November.

IMAG1009

That was how I ended my August. What about September?

Well, I started September with me being the Toastmaster of the Evening for MEF Toastmasters Club’s first meeting in the month of September. I choose Gratitude as the meeting theme. The reason behind was thanks to the cyber boyfriend, I realised that many people no longer show their appreciation and gratitude to those who had helped them. Therefore, I see that it was essential to remind everyone that we need to be thankful and show our gratitude to people around us.

P9041032

Also, in that month, it was my very first time to compete in the Area Level. Why was it not Gurmeet? Well, he swept another champion trophy in Penang Toastmasters Club. Yes, Gurmeet sapu-ed all the trophies. Since Chee Teng was not able to make it for the contest, I was sent to represent MEF Toastmasters Club in Area Level. Sadly I did not get any placing. This time I was disappointed. Truly disappointed. And only to realise that my contenders are all very strong especially Yi Xian. I witnessed his evaluation in Division Level and he really blew my mind. Now I felt fortunate to have competed with him in the Area Level.

IMG_2134

All Toastmasters and nothing on work?

Be patient. Yes, my workload sort of quiet down. Yes, there was this one event that my Company had. We were to help up the team that came from the HQ to run the day. I was only able to join them in the morning as I had to head down to Ipoh in the afternoon. To Ipoh for what purposes?

2014-09-27 08.48.42_副本

To attend Division H Joint Installation Luncheon as well as Division H’s Humororus Speech and Speech Evaluation Contests. I was the emcee for the luncheon and then the photographer for the contest. Being an emcee that day was truly stressful. Why?

There was no script at all! I am serious! No script. At all. Therefore, I had to unleash my impromptu speech during the luncheon. Guess what? I did an excellent job! I am glad I managed to handle the flow of the events well and also, managed to get everyone hyped during lucky draw session.

I received a feedback from our Division Governor that I should consider being an emcee outside. I told him that I would take up the opportunity whenever it comes to me. God is  good. Just when I finished the whole day event, I called Francis Ooi back. He called me earlier but I was not convenient to talk to him. He told me that a friend of his is looking for an emcee at her wedding dinner and therefore, he wanted to recommend me. He said he had seen me speaking and think I am good. Let me tell you, Francis Ooi is well-known by everyone to be a strict Toastmaster. If he praised you, it means that you are really good and he saw something in you!

I was really delighted! Firstly, being praised by Francis Ooi. Secondly, being offered an opportunity to be an emcee.

2014-09-29 12.56.10_副本

I ended my September with catching up with my ex colleagues. It has been a long time since we last met. Therefore, we had a lot of catch up to do. We even roughly made a plan for our next trip. Bukit Merah, yes? Let’s do it!

2014-09-29 22.28.59_副本

Since 2014 is coming to an end soon, I believe there are many great things awaiting me to experience. I am really looking forward to it. I am really positive about what are coming at me.

Bring it on!

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Raya In Kuala Lumpur!

I know Raya was three months ago. What to do? I was procrastinating to update my blog. Damn those bugs.

Anyhow, similarly to the previous year, I spent my Raya holiday in Kuala Lumpur. Great holiday must be spent with great people, of course!

2014-07-25 10.50.54

This time, instead of catching a flight, I followed my housemate who drove. She stays in Serdang. It was a fun journey. We talked non-stop and that was my very first to have talked to her for so long. From that conversation, I learned that she is a very cool and fun lady.

2014-07-25 20.53.34

What did I do when I reached my destination? I had a family dinner with my brother and the Lau siblings. It has been a long time since I had such meal. I mostly eat alone in Penang. Therefore, I really cherished that moment. That meal.

2014-07-26 08.42.05

The next day? Well, one of my babes had already planned out a to-do list for me. The first activity we had was Escape Room! Before we met up with the other couple, I joined the couple to have our brunch at IKEA. Swedish meatballs, oh I miss you so much! IKEA is invading Penang but that will be like 4-5 years’ time. By that time, I think I have already moved back to Kuala Lumpur.

2014-07-27 00.21.39

Remember my cyber boyfriend? Yes, I am going to just label him as my cyber boyfriend. We met up that night and supposed to hang out with a bunch of his friends but they did not make it. Therefore, it was just the two of us and the tower. Great music. Great place. And most importantly, great company. It got even better when he uploaded a video of him singing All Of Me after the night ended. There was a story behind about this song and I ain’t going detailed about it.

2014-07-27 12.38.15

What’s next? Aforementioned, my beloved babe had planned all out for me. She brought me to try this famous boat noodles. The portion for one bowl is really small that one can have 10 bowls of noodles for oneself! How many bowls did I have? I think I had 8 bowls all to myself!

2014-07-27 13.55.17

Before they sent me back home, I saw a pet shop. Since I would be meeting up with the fury monsters the next day, I decided to buy some buah tangan. They finished those in just one night. Oh, and the latest update I received was, the toy gone case. Truly fury monsters they are.

2014-07-27 17.51.02

It was a simple remaining day with my brother and the Lau siblings. That night, we decided to spend an evening at my brother’s new crib. We had take-away from McDonald’s and also watched a horror movie, The Conjuring.

2014-07-28 11.23.10

What’s next? Rock climbing! It was my very first time to try out rock climbing and I am loving it. I usually tell people that I dislike running. However, when it comes to activities like climbing or hiking, I am down for it! After rock climbing, thanks to the couple, they dropped me at Desa City Park to meet up with the fury monsters and their slave. We took a stroll at the park for a bit before we called it a day, for the fury monsters, of course. We, on the other hand, ended the day with a dinner buffet at Sunway Resort Hotel. A great way to end my Raya holiday.

2014-07-29 02.53.53

Before my housemate came and picked me up to go back to Penang, I had an enjoyable breakfast with my brother and the Lau siblings. Love that restaurant. They have delicious kolo mee there and it is really close to my brother’s new crib. Everything is awesome!

When I was still living in Kuala Lumpur, I could easily spend quality time with my brother and my close friends. Now?

Oh well.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

AIESEC in Taylor’s University’s A Decade of Excellence!

A decade of excellence? Time flies.

I still remember when I first entered the college’s meeting room, I was given a HOT-TO-GO cheer. That was my very first AIESEC’s cultural shock experience. It did not stop there. It went on with the square dances and crazy roll calls. Sooner or later, I managed to gel with the culture.

P6210444

I took up the challenge to apply a position in the organisation even though I was a new member. I became the Vice President of Human Resources and my partner was Yy who was the Vice President of Learning. I still remember I was in charge of recruitment as well as members’ involvement in the activities and events whereas Yy was in charge of the members’ development and learning in the organisation. It was not an easy year as AIESEC was still new in college.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

In the following year, I stepped down from the Committee. Why? I wanted to start the organisation’s very first Project Based On Exchange (PBox) which was TOMORROW – A Colourful Tomorrow For The Children Of Today. I had to recruit people to be part of my team and we had to work together to get sponsors to fund the project. It was not easy at all but I can proudly say that the project was a success. One of my biggest achievement was I managed to get Berjaya Group to sponsor the Motivational Camp.

P6210452

What happened after I graduated? I was still actively involved in AIESEC. Doing what? I was one of the Exchange Participants! I was matched to a company in Shanghai and that was where I did my one-year AIESEC Exchange Programme. A very fulfilling and satisfactory experience I shall say.

P6210453

Looking back, I realised I changed a lot thanks to AIESEC. I became who I am today mostly because of my involvement in AIESEC’s activities, events and programmes. It does not make any difference to a person if he or she joined an organisation that provides a lot of opportunities and he or she does not seize the opportunities himself or herself.

P6210459

That night was a night to celebrate 10 years’ of hard work from each term. For me, it was more like a catching up moments with friends that I had not seen for so long.

P6210460

Also, for senior members like us, we could see the enthusiasm and the excitement of the new members. AIESEC in Taylor’s University has changed a lot, to better, definitely. Now I am looking forward to Two Decades Of Excellence!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Let Go

..because you are unclear of where things stand.

00845_HD

Engaging in an undefined friendship is confusing because you do not know what you mean to the person, if anything at all. If the person cannot make you feel as though you are significant, reflect on why you are allowing someone to treat you this way.

Be in the company of someone who is proud to have you in his  life and will make that known to you and the rest of the world. Be in the company of someone who will not gamble with your heart and mind simply because he knows you are not going anywhere.