K U WA I T C H A L L E N G E R S TOA S T M A S T E R S AREA 36 - DIVISION I - DISTRICT 20 NEWSLETTER 2017 / 1
CHALLENGERS
PHOTO CREDIT : TM CAJETAN BARETTO
WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE
KCTM 2017-18 EXCOM President Raymond Pereira VP Education Marvin Cruz Oliveros, CC VP Membership Deepak Bhatia VP Public Relations Gaurav Handa Secretary Dilshad Ibrahim Mohammed Treasurer Arqam Bilal Sergeant-At-Arms Arafat Islam IP President DTM Anil Lobo Area Director Christi Kulathooran Division Director Fatima Abdullah -------------------------------------NewsLetter Team Gaurav Handa Editor Raymond Pereira Graphics Designer Photography Cajetan Barretto
MISSION OF TOASTMASTERS The mission of a Toastmaster Club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster selfconď€ dence and personal growth
It is our immense pleasure to inform you that (D20TAC 2018) District 20 Toastmasters Annual Conference will be held in KUWAIT, on the 11th and 12th of May 2018. We would love to have you join us in the positive and learning atmosphere together with the supportive and dynamic members from BAHRAIN, KUWAIT and QATAR! Don’t miss the fun and chance to get the Early Bird Rate! Early Bird Registration ends 30th of November 2017 Fees: KD 40/Payments Accepted until 10th of December 2017 Registration Type
Fees
Start Date of Registration
End Date of Registration
Last Payment Date
Early Bird
KD 40/-
1st Oct 2017
30th Nov 2017
10th Dec 2017
Tier 2
KD 50/-
1st Dec 2017
15th Mar 2018
10th Apr 2018
Tier 3
KD 60/-
16th Mar 2018
10th May 2018
10th May 2018
DISTRICT 20 TOASTMASTERS
ANNUAL CONFERENCE D20TAC 2018 KUWAIT MAY 11-12, 2018
WWW.D20TAC.ORG
INDEX 5
Letter from Division Director
6
Letter from Area Director
7
Letter from Past Area Director
8
Letter from Club President
HAVE A SAY 9
Think Positive to live a happy life - TM Dilshad
10
Leadership - TM Arqam Bilal
11
Truly Empowered to start with KCTM - TM N. Ram Kumar
12
Whatsapp Etiquette - TM Rizwan Ahmed
14
Challenges being a Challenger - DTM John
15
A Thought to be explored - TM Rajshekar
17
Traveling Light & Smart Packing - TM Fatema
18
Listen - TM Priscilla Dias
19
Lets get to the point - TM Deepak Bhatia
20
Aerial Photography with a drone - TM Cajetan Barretto
22
4 Reasons to invest in Hard Currency Today - TM Subhav Arora
FAMILIES OF TOASTMASTERS 24
Painting by Sunita (Family of TM Aravind)
25
Panting by Kyra (Daugher of TM Raymond)
26
Me and my pets by Paris (Daughter of TM Marvin)
CORPORATE VENTURES OF KCTM TOASTMASTERS
One day with Kuwait Challengers, Meeting No. 340 Supported by the strong & empowering voice of TM Rajshekar, that stressed on the values of Gandhism, and led a well motivated audience.
on 2nd oct, a bunch of powerful speakers met at a secret location, to empower their ability to learn, speak and lead.....
further empowered by the smooth talker, TM Dilshad, who convinced them to forth and deliver their table topics with great excitement and joy
powerful evaluations by DTM Anil, but encouragingly delivered to the target speakers
and the rock solid Grammarian , TM Tony, who stood by his word, “Austere” and ensured that we used it accurately. So much, that first time speakers, stood up and delivered their message. Strong and Clear!
Late Comers were caught and told to stand in the corner.....
Our Area Director TM Christy, was extremely happy with the meeting and expressed his happiness.
and they celebrated it with wada pav and lived happily ever after. “the end”
Awards were given.....
LETTERS
Letter from Division Director today I am better than me yesterday & tomorrow I will denitely be better than me today
TM Fatima Abdullah Division I - Director
- TM Fatima
Fellow Toastmasters, It's not how much good you are, it's how good you want to be. I believe in order to be the better version of yourself, you need to understand that your life is under a continuous cycle of improvement. It was a very happy coincidence to receive an invitation to attend TESOL Kuwait International Conference from someone who has no relation to the educational eld! There, TESOL TM club was announced to be one of TESOL interest groups. It was March, 2014 & since then I became a member of toastmasters. It's truly a place where you can achieve your personal goals. For me, my personal goal is not learning the skills of public speaking, which I have done several times before in Arabic, it's practicing English language with English language speakers then to master the public speaking skills in English. This led me to discover the leadership part & climb its ladder up. Now, as the current Division I Director, I am in continuous process of learning how to respect & serve toastmasters members with integrity & excellence. However, the best part of that is applying these core values in my all aspects of life & not as Division Director which is a one year position but as human being in general. Moreover, I learned that motivating & having a respectful inuence on people is the best way to create success because at the end of the day it's all about achieving members' goals. This was my brief experience in the journey of toastmasters. I am not the best, this is a kind of perfection that may never happen, but surely today I am better than me yesterday & tomorrow I will denitely be better than today. At the end, I must say that I am so grateful to that friend who introduced me accidentally to this wonderful community. Best Regards, Fatima Abdullah Division I Director
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LETTERS
Letter from Area Director TM Christy K Division I - Area 36 Director Your club is blessed with very good leaders, speakers and senior Toastmasters – a mix of new and experienced toastmasters. - TM Christy
Fellow Toastmasters, We come across many challenges in our work space like a business presentation, an interview or a meeting with a high prole external party. Many professionals stumble to openly speaking up and express our opinion bravely, effectively. We are often questioned by our friends and family members about the importance of Toastmasters in our life? Also at times public misinterpret the TM clubs as social clubs, without knowing its purpose and mission. However, once we invite a guest to attend a club meeting, a Toastmaster (TM) will sit beside him/her and explain the objectives of each roles. They then understand the importance of Toastmasters in their life. We as TM should communicate the importance of TM in our ofces and friends circle to create move awareness and also improving their life. I am very happy to learn that Kuwait challengers TMC will be issuing a club newsletter for the month of October. Your club is blessed with very good leaders, speakers and senior Toastmasters – a mix of new and experienced toastmasters. I have also been alerted that the club has achieved it’s Smedly award. The club has added 3 more members since October, thereby achieving the 2 DCP Points. The club also plans to achieve it’s President’s Distinguished status during the current period. We have several activities planned for Division I which require the members’ attendance and their active involvement for their personal growth. The goal of the Area 36 is to achieve Presidents’ Distinguished status for all it’s ve clubs and the Kuwait Challengers support is crucial for achieving the Area’s objective. Let me conclude by adding that “talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championship” – Michael Jordan. Keep your goals high, keep the team goals higher above the personal goals, this way you can reach your team goal based on the effort each of you put behind the same. Thank you for all your support for the Area 36. Christy Kulathooran Area 36 Director
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LETTERS
Letter from Past Area Director DTM Alka Kumra
Together Everyone Achieves More. - DTM Alka
Dr Ralph C Smedley, the founder of Toastmasters International once stated, "Ours is the only organization I know, that is dedicated to the individual; we work together to bring out the best in each of us and then we apply these skills to help others." I was pleasantly surprised when I received a request from Toastmaster Raymond Periera, President of Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters club, to write a few words for the club newsletter. This is the same club that needed a coach a couple of years back. At the beginning of the last year when I started my term as Area 36 Director, I was forewarned by my district excom colleagues and predecessors about this “weak” club in my Area. However, I felt reassured when I met a bunch of senior toastmasters who were already making efforts to strengthen the club. With my Area motto of 'Together Everyone Achieves More' as I attended a few initial meetings of the club, we agreed to work towards getting some fresh blood for the club. A few energetic new members from a geographically close by company and a change in venue proved to be a catalyst for the club's transformation into a delightfully vibrant one that it is now. The club Excom has been making concerted efforts to add variety to its meetings so as to give maximum value to its members. With active publicity and networking with other Toastmasters in Kuwait, the club's exposure to best practices has led to its steep development curve. The perfect blend of the club's new leaders' initiatives and commitment, and the experienced members' sincerity and vision, is the best example of a positive and conducive environment for the growth and benet of its individual members. I feel extremely proud and happy to see that under the dynamic leadership of its Excom members, the club is soaring high in its journey to become a distinguished club soon. As Walt Disney said, “All our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” I congratulate the club members for their grit, consistency and courageous turnaround and wish the club a bright future! Alka Kumra, DTM Immediate Past Area 36 Director Current District Administration Manager District 20, Region 11, Toastmasters International 7 / KUWAIT CHALLENGERS NEWSLETTER
LETTERS
Letter from Club President TM Raymond Pereira Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club and the Catalyst was MOTIVATION - TM Raymond Pereira
Dear Toastmasters, “With Great power comes Greater responsiblity” - SpiderMan A very popular quote from the movie Spiderman, that impacts the character especially when he was in major doubt. The same happened to me, when I was offered the presidential role, without knowing what I was getting into, nor did I know about my own capabilities as a leader to manage a powerful club with a lot of talent and skill. Taking Kuwait Challengers to a new benchmark, was my top priority as a president, but at the same time, I had to work with my very energetic excom as well the members to achieve a common goal. With wise leaders such as DTM Anil and DTM John & many others by our side. There was no doubt, we had the perfect combination. All that was needed, was a Catalyst to spark everyone. The Catalyst was “motivation”. A lot of time was spent in motivating and guiding individual members , thus bringing out their skills, their passion and their desire to “better themselves” . Together with amazing support from the division and area directors, Kuwait Challengers has surged out to be one of the top entreprising clubs in the region. Im proud of our rst Newsletter during our EXCOM term, it's a collaborative effort of all our members and supporters. This time we decided to involve everyone, from toastmasters, their families, their companies and other guests too. We focused on the fact of “revolving around the community”. The Team worked hard to put all the excitement we share in our club meetings into a tangible document, so that you too can continue to be part of our experiences as we journey through the toastmasters way all long the way.
Raymond Pereira KCTM President
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HAVE A SAY
Think Positive To Live A Happy Life TM Mohammed Dilshad Kuwait Challengers Toastmaster Club The secret of life isn't what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you -TM Dilshad
Life is like your best friend, It advices and teaches you just how your best friend does example dad, mom, brother , sister , friend or well-wisher they show us the ups and downs, difcult situation and what each human being go through in their life. I always felt to succeed in life you have to be friendly towards life. Take an initiative to do something to become something. No one is born just like WASTE “GOD HAS GIFTED EVERYONE WITH SOMETHING SPECIAL IN EACH ONE”. We all want to be that person to live for
where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up. The secret of life isn't what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you. Help other people to cope with their problems and your own will be easier to cope with. Never use the word impossible seriously again. Toss it into the verbal wastebasket. Self-trust is the rst secret of success. So believe in and trust yourself. Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will nd that they haven't half the strength you think they have. Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible. How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself - so always think positively. Go at life with abandon; give it all you've got. And life will give all it has to you.
remembrance “YOU DON’T NEED 100 YEARS TO LIVE A LIFE, YOU NEED TO DO GOOD THINGS TO BE REMEMBERED FOR 100 YEARS”. I had fear of facing things in life, stressed and depressed not happy with what I was doing no passion at all. Totally lost my path with Lot of negative vibes around me which crushed me down but later I realized I need to use the 3 Cs in my life to be positive person that is to CHANGE, CHOICE AND CHALLENGE. If you want to get somewhere, you have to know
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I hope who ever will read it will change their life into positivity to live for the moment you wish for without wasting it for what not worth of being (BE YOURSELF DO WHAT’S RIGHT AND DON’T STOP WON’T STOP). This is only magic word you can whisper to your inner self and be happy with a beautiful smile on a gorgeous face. Ÿ Failure is better because when u fail you will rise again to win now that’s the ultimate challenge you give to yourself. Ÿ
HAVE A SAY
Leadership TM Arqam Bilal Kuwait Challengers Toastmaster Club A leader has a clear vision of a destination and he takes all its followers to the desired destination along with him. -TM Arqam
The leadership word consists of 4 letters “Lead, leader, ship and leadership itself”. Some people are leaders by birth, some become a leader by taking inspiration from other leaders and some become leader by their circumstances. I am not intended to write anything about how to become a leader but on the basis of my knowledge I can write some qualities about good leader. I would like to share a story of a young guy who shared his views with public and it became leadership qualities. In the year 1906 the British Government built a railway train track in a small village of British India. The Landlord of that village had a son whose name was Babu. He was just 9 years old and he was very fond of steam engines. He used to watch train and its steam engine daily. One day someone asked him why you come to railway station on daily basis and watch train and steam engine. Babu replied “I have fallen in love with steam engines”. The man who asked him the question was surprised by this young lad’s reply and asked him why you fell in love with the steam engine. Babu replied him back saying it has 5 qualities; Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
The steam engine takes with it all the passengers to their destinations. It feeds himself with the re, heat and lead but neither harms the rail bogies nor its passengers. It runs on planned track and achieves its goals. It takes even the last bogie along with it and never drops off anyone on its way. The steam engine never relies on bogies but the bogies are completely dependent on it.
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If you ponder upon the above mentioned lines, you will nd that those are the core qualities of a true leader. A leader has a clear vision of a destination and he takes all its followers to the desired destination along with him. He bears all the difculties and hardships on the way to the destination but paves the way for others. A leader always has a goal in his mind for the betterment of its people who follow him. He does not derail from the settled roadmap so as the steam engine. Someone who has leadership skills will take care of all of his followers and will not compromise on any of them to be left on the way. A true leader relies upon his personal skills and he doesn’t even consider of taking someone else’s support but the followers depend upon him totally. Hence the role of a leader and the way the steam engine leads its bogies is somehow or the other is same. They are truly co-realted. As John C. Maxwell said true leadership isn’t about having a certain job, title, or position. True leadership is about helping people develop their own skills to become leaders themselves. True leadership is about investing in people, building relationships, and inspiring them. True leaders who have skill and dedication can reach the pinnacle of leadership extending their inuence for the benet of others. Some other qualities of leadership are also integrity, honesty etc. It is not necessary that departments or organization heads require learning leadership skills but it is important for every person to learn leadership’s skills in order to grow and progress in his life as well as in daily deliverables. Toastmaster international clubs give equal opportunity to everyone regardless of nationality and religion to learn leadership skills.
HAVE A SAY
Truly Empowered to start with Kuwait Challengers TM Nachupally Ram Kumar Capitol Speakers Toastmaster Club The place where people come to experience the Worldly joy -TM Ram Kumar
I am truly Empowered to start with Kuwait
guidance that I have received from DTM Anil Lobo and
Challengers Toastmasters fraternity zest and utmost
DTM John J. and other senior members TM Christy,
zeal.
AD Fatima Abdullah TM Deepak TM Dilshad TM Mohammed and other fellow toastmasters.
My gratitude to KCTM President Raymonds Pereira for his excellent motivational support and for an
“The place where people come to experience the
opportunity extended to excel professionally and
Worldly joy�
personally from Toastmaster as a member to the TMI Leadership cadre.
My sincere congratulation to Kuwait Challengers for designing and communicating excellent Flyers in its
It gives me an immense pleasure to extend my hearty
style in the entire events and agenda meetings
congratulations to all the Winners of Kuwait
immensely thought provoking, with high creativity,
Challengers toastmasters with the exceptional
researched ideas and concepts that shows their
executive committee members for their outstanding
determination toward championship and why not?
performance and achievements in every little things
Which was eventually demonstrated with outstanding
they do is highly commendable and presentably
themes. And has taken Second place in the District
applaud able in the heart of the Kuwait city where the
Division being the Winner in the Kuwait region.
Leaders Are Made under the banner of Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club which I myself experienced started from a competent communicator to advanced communicator with the opportunity and efforts and good mentoring
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Long Live Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club. With boundless gratitude to everyone.
HAVE A SAY
Whatsapp Etiquette: What to App & What not to TM Rizwan Ahmed Kuwait Challengers Toastmaster Club If there is any message on WhatsApp that you suspect to be untrue, it probably is. Don't spread it further. -TM Rizwan Ahmed
WhatsApp has become so indispensable, a lot of people fail to follow the unspoken/unwritten rules of WhatsApp and end up being annoying texters. You may be well-versed with how to chat on WhatsApp, send pictures, share videos, and of course, disable the “last seen” timestamp,” but, we think, there still remain some basic simple things that many of us active on WhatsApp should learn. While these things (that can collectively be termed etiquette) may not directly add to your WhatsApp abilities, but certainly, can help you appear as a better person on the instant messenger. Read on to know which ones you are already good at, and if there's something new that you might need to learn. READ THE MESSAGE? DO, AT LEAST, A COURTESY REPLY We understand that it's not always possible to reply to every message on WhatsApp instantly (or to have a detailed conversation). You may simply not be available or perhaps, may not be in a mood to have any conversation at all at that particular point of time. But having read a message with no reply sent appears to be a little rude. While that might not be
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your intention, but it may come across as such. Therefore, it is better to simply drop a message, say, “a little busy right now, will talk later,” or “will talk once I get free,” when you can't talk at length. But if you are intentionally avoiding someone, then you can give it a skip and can continue with your no-response strategy ;) STOP BEING A PEST You may be free to keep a track of when someone came online and left without replying to your messages, but avoid making a fuss over it. Instead, be a little understanding. Others genuinely may not be in a position to even send “yes” or “no” to your messages, leave alone detailed replies. And by perpetually venting over not replying to your messages instantly, you eventually may start to sound persistently annoying. DON'T OVERUSE EMOTICONS There are times when we don't have an appropriate reply to a message sent on WhatsApp. And this is where emoji comes to our rescue. An apt emoji sent in response is even perceived by others as an interesting reply. But its overuse could convey a different meaning. Also, avoid using emoji in serious conversations as they could not only tone down the otherwise strong statements, but could also distract readers from fathoming the intended meaning. BE CLEAR IN BOTH WORDS AND APPROACH People with clarity in their thoughts are often taken to be more seriously than others. And how clear you are
HAVE A SAY
with your thoughts gets easily reected in the way you send messages on WhatsApp. Instead of breaking a message into multiple messages (each sentence as one message), send one message as a chunk. Make sure it's correctly written and properly structured. Also, avoid using SMS lingo in your messages. WhatsApp doesn't have those character limits. These small things do leave an impact on how your messages on WhatsApp are received. AVOID BEING PART OF A RUMOR CHAIN If there is any message on WhatsApp that you suspect to be untrue, it probably is. Don't spread it further. It's better to get the facts checked before you forward it. And in case you fail to get them veriď€ ed, stop it there. FOLLOW SOME UNSTATED RULES OF GROUP CHAT Every member of the group may not be interested in every conversation happening there. And therefore, you should not expect every member to be actively participating in all the group chats. Also, if a discussion that starts in a group gets to a topic that is of interest to only two people, it is advisable to shift it to personal chat windows. W H Y TO F O R WA R D A L L F O R WA R D E D MESSAGES? Just because you think it's funny does not make it universally funny. You shouldn't be forwarding jokes on WhatsApp based on what interests you; in fact,
such messages should be forwarded based on the taste of people the messages are forwarded to. It may bring you to the category of spammers. This even reduces the chances of your otherwise serious messages being taken in the same way as you may be intending. WAIT FOR A REPLY BEFORE MOVING ON TO DIFFERENT UNRELATED TOPIC: You may have a couple of topics to be discussed with a person, but wait for a discussion on one topic to be over before you move on to another unrelated topic. It's not wise to drop multiple messages on different topics in one go. STOP SENDING USELESS AND UNBEFFITING BROADCASTS Some send broadcasts for fun, some send it for business, some send it because others send it to them. Whichever is your own reason for sending a BC, do well to ask yourself, and is this BC of need to who I am sending it to? And how can any list of rules be without its exceptions? The aforementioned dos and don'ts need not necessarily apply to all your WhatsApp contacts. Often individual equations can override generally expected etiquette. As long as we follow a few dos and don'ts.
HAPPY WHATSAPPING!
HAVE A SAY
Challenges being a, Challenger DTM John Joseph Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club I can't forget the learning from all the agonies and struggles that we went through; that anything is possible with strong team work -DTM John Joseph
“When leaders are doing their best, they model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart.” - James M. Kouzes A few years back during my tenure as Area Governor 36, we were sailing smoothly working together to attain all the goals to be a President Distinguished Area. However, there was one big challenge in front of us – the Kuwait Challengers Club, one of the oldest clubs in Kuwait was on the death bed. I believed it was possible to bring this club back to life with the support of DTM Anil Lobo, a great model and a leader who demonstrates his work in Toastmasters Kuwait by example. Anil and I worked closely and with 8 members including the two of us, the club rose back to life. However, It continued to be a roller coaster ride – the struggle to bring in new members, to achieve the distinguished status, or even to achieve the minimum requirements and goals was all too real. We also struggled for nance, venue for the meetings and even to conduct quality meetings. The venue particularly was a big challenge as we
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moved from one place to another - Don Bosco School to Better Books to Al Mulla, Sharq Ofce and nally settled at the current venue in Kuwait city. All the hard work of those days slowly paid off and today, the club is robust and led by able leaders. With the enthusiastic new leadership of President TM Raymond along with the ardent support of TM Deepak Bhattia, the club stands high. I can't forget the learning from all the agonies and struggles that we went through; that anything is possible with strong team work. I have no doubt that Kuwait Challengers will be an anchor club in the area and the division in the near future. Let's continue to work together as a team. It reminds me of this dialogue from the book, “The leadership challenge” by James M. Kouzes where he asked Don Bennett, an amputee -- “How did you do it?” we asked Don. “How did you make it to the top of Mount Rainier on one leg?” “One hop at a time,” he said.” Yes, we have still more challenges to overcome - one hop at a time and we will be on top. Great going Challengers!!!
HAVE A SAY
A Thought to be explored dear toastmasters Giving selessly is art we have to practice in our daily life. -TM Rajshekar
Giving selessly is art we have to practice in our daily life. Charity is virtue recommended in all faiths. Essentially it is the one feature that sets us apart from other living creatures. Empathy – the understanding of what others feel and sympathy – feeling the same as the other should be cultivated. Giving away money is not the end all of it. People giveaway their unwanted possessions, but often they are in dilapidated, worn out condition, which is of no use. If you want to giveaway give your things that are in good condition. You can also give your time. Teach poor children; or even adults who did not have the privilege of education. Spend quality time with your aged or elderly relatives. Visit patients in hospitals who have no relatives or friends here. Read books to them. I am inspired by our own John Joseph who always talks of sharing & caring. I got thinking on this subject when I came across this brilliant article by Swami Vivekananda which I reproduce below. Why do we do good work? Because it is a blessing to ourselves. Swami Vivekananda calls upon us to serve God in man, and gives the key to blessedness in the following words:
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TM Rajshekar Iyer Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club
“We may all be perfectly sure that it will go on beautifully well without us, and we need not bother our heads wishing to help it. Yet, we must do good; the desire to do good is the highest motive power we have, if we know all the time that it is a privilege to help others. Do not stand on a high pedestal, and take ve cents in your hand and say, 'Here, my poor man,' but be grateful that the poor man is there, so that by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself. It is not the receiver that is blessed, but it is the giver. Be thankful that you are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence and mercy in the world and thus become pure and perfect…. “No beggar whom we have helped has ever owed a single cent to us: we owe everything to him because he has allowed us to exercise our charity on him. It is entirely wrong to think that we have done, or can do, good to the world, to think that we have helped such and such people. It is a foolish thought, and all foolish thoughts bring misery. We think that we have helped some man and expect him to thank us, and because he does not, unhappiness comes to us. Why should we expect anything in return for what we do? Be grateful to the man you help, think of him as God. Is it not a great privilege to be allowed to worship God by helping our fellow men? If we were really unattached, we should
escape all this vain expectation, and could cheerfully do good work in the world.� We as Toastmasters should also initiate some social schemes where we can contribute to society in some small way. Serving – or at least being of help to our fellow men. One such Idea came from TM Gayathri last Friday when she mooted the idea of a Toastmasters in Hindi. Why not I ask? Toastmasters has grown from being an English-only organization to one that develops communication and leadership skills in several languages. There are now clubs in many languages, including Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tamil, and Thai, among others. So why not in Hindi or Malayalam for that matter? That way we could reach out to so many members of our society who are underprivileged and work lower jobs for their lack of communication skills. A Thought to be explored dear toastmasters
Current Toastmasters Educational Journey (Prior to Pathways)
HAVE A SAY
Traveling light and Smart Packing Packing light is the real challenge and a goal worth achieving -TM Fatema
“He, who would travel happily, must travel light”. One cannot agree more with Antoine De Saint Exupery. Traveling today has become a child's play. You are able to y from one end of the world to the other end in just 15 hours, to embark on a journey or an exciting escapade. The question is, do you want to ruin your riveting trip by carrying a heavy bag? While some travellers successfully are able to travel light making their journey easy and breezy, others carry an entire wardrobe along. The process of packing your bag starts long before you start planning your trip. Remember, the lighter the bag, the more it makes your travel easy and of course, it leaves your bag with plenty of room for souvenirs. I am personally very fond of collecting umpteen souvenirs from countries around the world. Let's be real! We all have a tendency to over pack. It can be quite a challenge to t it all your stuff in a hand carry or a bag pack. However with a few tips and tricks, traveling light can be a total life-changer! Before you plan for any trip, researching about the climate of your destination is very decisive. If you are traveling to a destination with a warmer climate, leave those bulky clothes, jackets and shoes behind. You don't need them! And of course, traveling light
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TM Fatema Saifee Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club
not only liberates you from waiting for your bag at those long queued carousels, but it also saves you worrying about airlines losing your bag. Trust me, it can be quite cumbersome. While in some countries (talking from experience), travelers with huge bags are more susceptible and vulnerable to thieves and swindle, traveling light can help you escape those shy situations. When it comes to your toiletries, be a minimalist! This is something that takes up tons of space in your bag. Be smart and buy travel sizes of your most frequently used products. Essentials like shampoos, face wash, shower gels can be poured into appropriately sized DIY containers in case travel size bottles are not available. With this hack, you won't have to deal with the annoying security procedures at airports. But… Don't forget, the hotel you are staying at, have most of these essentials that will get the job done. So think twice about packing these spillable liquids if you are not brand conscious. Now for the most challenging part of your packing, Shoes! Figuring how to pack shoes can be very difcult especially if you are traveling light. Go easy with your footwear. You don't require more than 2 pairs of shoes on your trip. Yes, only 2 pairs. Again, it leaves your bag with ample amount of space to t in other things like extra clothes, camera (if you are a photography fanatic) etc... Packing your bag can be quite challenging but packing light is the real challenge and a goal worth achieving! And as quoted by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, “Let your memory be your travel bag”
HAVE A SAY
TM Priscilla Dias Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club
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HAVE A SAY
Let’s get to the point ! TM Deepak Bhatia Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club
Staying alone in Kuwait was and still is my biggest challenge. -TM Deepak
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June 17th, 2012 I land up at Kuwait Airport starting a new job at age 44, having never worked abroad or stayed away from my family.
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It's been a little over 5 years here and the rst year was full of complications due to new country, new company, food, family, friends, weather and above all adjusting to the work environment. I hail from Mumbai that has a humid weather all year round, thus no formal wear or winter wear. It was quite a shock seeing people in business suits and super winter wear. Staying alone in Kuwait was and still is my biggest challenge. Thousands of other expatriates would have come, stayed, worked and nally gone back to their homeland. Each one would have his/her story to share. So, Let's GET TO THE POINT!!! How I am managing ALONE…. My Boss had told me in the very beginning “Deepak, if you do not have your family here, be careful of getting into depression or wrong kind of friends and social circle” I am sharing my LIFE pattern with you, nothing new…but you may gain from some points!!!
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I was always an early bird in Mumbai, but in Kuwait the sun rise is earlier, I get up by 3 am. I am also off to bed latest by 9 pm. I don't have cold water, ice or any aerated drinks. I cook fresh food usually vegetarian from 4 am to 5 am. Most of my ofce staff has tasted by basic cooking. I love outdoor so I go for a walk 5 km or cycling 25 km. I maintain a healthy Body Mass Index with diet and exercise. Just recently, I bought myself a used Harley Davidson and go riding 100 km on weekends with a HD Group. I love animals and the only stray animals here are cats, so I feed cats daily around ofce and during my morning walks. I don't have a great social life, so I make maximum use of Face Book and keep posting good food, walks and pictures of rides and sunrise. I am short tempered by nature, but the hot weather here has cooled me off so I smile more often. I keep visiting my family once in 3 months for a short break of 1 week duration. I stopped watching TV and Movies since there is enough real action in life. But, I do watch cricket and some wild life series on Nat Geo and Discovery Channel. I have yet to take a sick leave from work, even if I am sick, my ofce colleagues keep me cheerful I love coaching so I regularly teach my daughters and mentor my ofce team on Life Philosophy.
Contact me anytime on bd221967@hotmail.com, Let's hope, I keep living up to my own 12 points…
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Aerial Photography with a drone I could move the drone around and compose images exactly as I wanted. There was no turning back for me.
TM Cajetan Barretto Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club
-TM Cajetan
Aerial photography has always fascinated me. Shooting a scene from hundreds of meters above the ground gives us a totally different perspective of the place we live. I got into aerial photography in 2014 when I invested in a drone with a built-in camera called the “DJI Phantom 2 Vision”. It had limited range, and not very reliable. But it was a thrill to see it ying up in the air, and sending live video footage directly to my phone. I could move it around, and compose images exactly as I wanted. There was no turning back for me.
equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) sensors that allow them to know precisely where they are, and more importantly, return to the home position in case of any signal loss. Additionally, drones are now equipped with various obstacle avoidance sensors that prevent them from hitting objects or people. The technology is not without its share of problems. It is still an evolving technology, and has a long way to go before its use becomes widespread. Several core issues need to be addressed before people can accept it as a way of life. Ÿ
Over the years, I have upgraded to newer drones with better cameras and safer ights. Drones come 20 / KUWAIT CHALLENGERS NEWSLETTER
Safety: The technology is still unsafe in the wrong hands. A drone can cause serious injuries if it hits people. There is also a concern that ying these drones in the air can cause obstruction to civil aviation. The Dubai airport, for example, was once closed for nearly 1 hour due to reports of a drone ying in the area.
Privacy: Drones can be misused to invade people’s privacy by ying the drone over private property or homes. Ÿ Security: Intelligence and other government agencies are always concerned about the use of drones for gathering intelligence. Several countries have banned the use of drones outright. Ÿ
The largest manufacturer of consumer drones is DJI, a Chinese-based company which make the popular “Phantom” series of drones. The company is working actively with various government agencies to ensure that their drones comply with local laws. Governments are also putting in legislations that will allow drone operators to get proper license to y the drones. As drones become safer, and acceptable by government agencies, you will start seeing more pictures taken from a higher vantage point.
How the learning process works!
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4 Reasons to Invest in a Hard Currency, Today! Ination hurts savers since your money saved will be worth less in the future
TM Subhav Arora Kuwait Challengers Toastmasters Club
-TM Subhav
Quick Question: Mr. Kumar lives in Kuwait and has invested heavily in real estate in India. He is now looking to further enhance his portfolio by deciding to invest his hard-earned money. He wants to use one of two options: option (1) invest USD 10,000 on a rate of return of 3% AND option (2) Indian Rupees (INR) 6L on interest rate of 6.25% in a xed deposit account in India. Which option would you choose if you were Mr. Kumar? Option (1) OR Option (2) Hard Currency VS Soft Currency: Hard Currency is a relatively stable currency over a period of time. A hard currency is a widely accepted form of payment for goods and services in a global setting. In a macro outlook: A hard currency is generally developed only when a nation enjoys a strong economic and political condition over a long-term perspective. I.E. US Dollar having a major share in the global economy. Soft Currency is also known as a “weak currency”. A currency with high volatility, that uctuates due to the socioeconomic status of a nation and demonstrates uncertainty is known as a soft currency. Macro outlook: A soft currency depicts instability and are classied with developing countries of the world. I.E. Chinese Yuan or Indian Rupees Strength of the US Dollar in overall global trade:
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The 4 reasons to invest in a hard currency, TODAY! 4 – Universal currency Hard currencies are the most tradable currencies in the world. One of the measure of being a hard-currency is also the liquidity factor in the Foreign Exchange market. US dollar alone enjoys almost 70% of foreign reserve currency which amounts to the maximum international trade transactions in the world. 3 - Portfolio Diversication A portion of your portfolio that includes hard currency signies growth, stability and long-term-ism. It can be a qualitative way to save money for the future and enhances your portfolio to be stronger as compared against a soft currency. 2 – Ination – lower in comparison to countries with soft currencies Ination hurts savers since your money saved will be worth less in the future. Unless the money is saved in an account that pays an interest rate at or above the rate of ination, the purchasing power of savings will erode. This phenomenon is sometimes called "cashdrag." 1 – Stability & Longevity The value of a currency is mostly based off of economic fundamentals such as gross domestic product (GDP) and employment. The international strength of the U.S. dollar is reective of America's GDP which, as of 2015 stands rst in the world at $17.947 trillion. China and India have the second and seventh, respectively, ranked GDPs in the world at $10.983 trillion and $2.091 trillion, but neither the Chinese yuan nor the Indian rupee is considered a hard currency.
TOASTMASTERS NEW EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
FAMILIES OF TOASTMASTERS
D.N.L.Sunitha --------------------------------Family of TM Aravind Babu
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FAMILIES OF TOASTMASTERS
Kyra Pereira (3yrs) --------------------------------Daughter of TM Raymond
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FAMILIES OF TOASTMASTERS
Me and my pets Paris Oliveros (10 yrs) --------------------------------Daughter of TM Marvin
Our family has six members. We also have a pet cat. Her name is Winter. She's the best cat I ever had. Winter loves playing with strings, small nger puppets and other small things. She entertains us a lot. When someone sees her, They can't get over it. She's too cute. When I'm sad, Winter always makes us happy. She's so uffy and her fur is as white as snow. Winter likes to drink water from our faucet. She sleeps on me or my sister's bed. And sometimes Winter gets nightmares and she make small cute sounds. Whenever we go to shop, Our groceries won't be complete without buying the cat food. Winter is always a part of our journey. My favorite hobby is reading books that I like the most or any other books that are interesting. I also like HorrorLand books. It keeps me busy when I have nothing to do. The books teaches me other things I didn't know about this world, The meaning of the words I don't know and many things. I also recommend you all to read books. Interesting books like Comedy, normal, scary and other books
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you would want to read. We all should read books once, twice or more in a week. If you nished all your books, Well, that's good! In the Philippines, We have two pet dogs. Their breeds are a beagle dog and a dachshund dog. Their names are Beagle and Potchie. They are, Well, A part of our family. Yes, They are. They had been with us for two or three years. Whenever we run, They catch us so fast that you can't run away from them. I really miss them. Oh and about Winter. When I'm waking her up, She pushes or kicks my hand away. Oh, And one more, She's an opposite cat. She sleeps in the morning and plays in the night. What a funny cat
CORPORATE VENTURES OF KCTM TOASTMASTERS
Retire-o-Phobia ? You fear it may never happen!
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Subhav Arora Independent Financial Advisor
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Over 25 years of pedigree of knowledge and experience
12th floor , Global Tower, Sharq Kuwait, Office No: 2295 1969 Mob No: 6596 6722 Email : Subhav.arora@nexusadvice.com www.nexusadvice.com
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