Oasis Outlook - Volume 04, Issue 01 by Oasis Toastmasters Club

VOLUME 04 • ISSUE 01 • DECEMBER 2021

IN THIS EDITION 2

TOASTMASTER

ACHIEVEMENTS

Its all about TOASTMASTERS. Vision, Missions and Core Values

The Summary of Club Achievements & Members' Achievements

OSTYLISH The Story of OSTYLISH Profile Picture Campaign

DOWN THE MEMORY LINE Significant milestone of 250th meeting of the club

VISITORS' LOUNGE What they think about the OASIS culture

WHAT IS TOASTMASTERS? Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds to become more confident speakers, communicators, and leaders.

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL MISSION We empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders.

CLUB MISSION We provide a supportive and positive learning experience in which members are empowered to develop communication and leadership skills, resulting in greater self-confidence and personal growth.

TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL CORE VALUES SERVICE EXCELLENCE

WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE

INTEGRITY RESPECT

OASIS TOASTMASTERS CLUB NUMBER

01481554

OASIS Toastmasters club (TMC) is one of the oldest Toastmasters club in Sri Lanka which was founded in year 2010 by late Mr. Chandra Liyanaarchchi. Initially it was established in Mirigama area and later it has been moved to Nittambuwa area in Gampaha district, Sri Lanka. Currently there are 34 active members with OASIS TMC. AREA DIVISION DISTRICT REGION

FIND US ON

https://oasisnittambuwa.toastmastersclubs.org/

1 F 82 13

It is a great pleasure and privilege to become the chief editor of the Volume 4, Issue 01, of The "Oasis Outlook" Magazine. The main objective of publishing a newsletter is to illustrate the Toastmasters culture, club activities and provide different experiences to its' stakeholders. “If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail” — Benjamin Franklin As a marketing professional, I do really believe that the planning is the utmost element in decision making & accomplishing goals. The main objective was to reveal the exposure for readers through this edition of Oasis Outlook. To get the output of this product, there were many hidden shadows behind me. I must take this opportunity to mention the editorial team and covey my gratefulness for their immense support and commitment. After the well executed plan, here I'm presenting this wonderful creation. Dear Readers, this is my open invitation to turn the pages and explore the mind blowing Oasis creation: Oasis Outlook Volume 4, Issue 01. Over to you! CHAMODITH RANASINGHE Editor - "Oasis Outlook " volume 4, issue 01 Vice President Public Relations 2021/2022. Oasis Toastmasters club, Nittambuwa

TOASTMASTER

CHAMODITH RANASINGHE

EDITORIAL TEAM TOASTMASTER

TOASTMASTER

SITHIJI AMARASENA

MADHAVINEE YATANWELA

THARUSHI SIRIKUMARA

YUMNA AFZAL

IMANTHI RAJANAYAKE

THULSEE KARUNARATHNE

- THE PRESIDENT As the President of OASIS Toastmasters Club it has been a wonderful but a challenging experience for me since club meetings shifted to the online platform due to the current covid'19 pandemic from the very beginning. Even with great difficulties we have been able to do a great job by conducting club meetings every two weeks. My Exco team along with the club members are contributing with their hard work to make Oasis Toastmasters club one of the best clubs in the District. I want to thank my VPE TM Sankhanie Suraweera for working really hard and not letting down the educational side of the club even midst this pandemic, my VP Membership TM Sithiji Kavishma for striving hard to keep up the membership of the club members throughout this pandemic and achieving the Smedley award for this year and my VPPR TM Chamodith Ranasinghe for coming up with creative innovative flyers and taking our club name to Region 13 for the first time in our club history.

Last but not least, I’m pleased to see the club progress up to now and my only target is to see my club achieving more in the future and I expect the same love and support from my club members to move forward as an outstanding club. GIHAN JAYAWEERA President , 2021/2022 Oasis Toastmasters

I take this chance to thank especially to our Area Director TM Prarthana Liyanarachchi and to our experienced club members TM Chamil Madusanka and TM Chirantha Sirikumara for their continuous and unconditional support given to me throughout the past 6 months. As the President of this outstanding club I’m proud to announce that we have been able to achieve all the 10 DCP points that are required to achieve the “President’s Distinguished” status for the club before the end of the first half of this Toastmaster year 2021/2022. And we have also achieved the required club points up to now to achieve the “Golden Club Award” as well.

TOASTMASTER

GIHAN JAYAWEERA

IT’S MY GREAT PLEASURE TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS THROUGH THE FIRST NEWSLETTER OF OASIS TOASTMASTERS CLUB, IN THE TOASTMASTERS YEAR OF 2021/2022. At the beginning of the year, Area F1 set the goal with the theme of “Family Number 1” which focused on enhancing quality, strengthening membership, and providing more opportunities for our members within and outside the clubs and support each other in the area to grow themselves as one team. Oasis Toastmasters has been able to align successfully with the theme while supporting neighbouring clubs. The new leadership of the Oasis Toastmasters club has the challenge to bring the club to the next level while being one of the leading clubs in the Area. With the experience I had with Oasis Toastmasters for the last six months, I’m delighted with the leadership of Oasis which has driven this club with a splendid effort to achieve numerous goals and milestones. Strengthening the membership during the past membership drive of the year, 100% pathways enrollment, the progress of district goals submissions, creating many channels of member engagement with fun filled events and the performance of members at Area contest were some of the memorable achievements that I witnessed throughout. Especially the public relations activities at Oasis is outstanding and even recognized them at the regional level. Many members are serving at the area level, division level and district level. I must appreciate their support for the Area Contest Camp as active Coordinators also. This is what we are expecting from a leading club.

Team Oasis has invested time in planning for the year and execute the plan effectively. As a result of that, they have already achieved 10 DCP points, Smedley award, and progressing the way to achieve Golden Club award. Therefore, I am confident that members get the maximum benefits through the Toastmasters experience because of this collective effort of the leadership and the members. This reflects the positive culture that supports members to grow with a positive learning experience. I would wish all the members of the Oasis Toastmasters Club all the best to achieve the pinnacle of success in the future as well. AREA DIRECTOR Area 1 Division F District 82

TOASTMASTER

PRARTHANA LIYANAARACHCHI

PRESIDENTS WHO LED THE OASIS CLUB CHARTER PRESIDENT TM CHANDRA LIYANAARACHCHI 2010/11

2011/12 - TM MEENAKSHI RANASINGHE

2017/18 - TM WIMAL RAJAPAKSHA

2012/13 - TM SARATH LIYANARACHCHI

2018/19 - TM CHIRANTHA SIRIKUMARA

2013/14 - TM NIPUNA WEERAKKODY

2019/20 - TM CHAMIL MADUSANKA

2014/15 - TM UPENDRA WELGAMA

2020/21 - TM NEETHA PERERA

2015/16 - TM PULITHA SIYABALAGODA

2021/22 - TM GIHAN JAYAWEERA

2016/17 - TM MANJULA DIAS

THE PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT EDUCATION

VICE PRESIDENT MEMBERSHIP

TM GIHAN JAYAWEERA

TM SANKHANIE SURAWEERA

TM SITHIJI KAVISHMA

TM NEETHA PERERA

TM IMANTHI RAJANAYAKE

TM CHAMIL MADUSANKA

TM SAMANMALEE SWARNALATHA

TM VATHSALA LIYANARACHCHI

TM MAHENDRA LIYANARACHCHI

TM DANUSHKE GANEPOLA

TM THARUSHI SIRIKUMARA

TM CHIRANTHA SIRIKUMARA

TM YUMNA AFZAL

TM LAKITHA RATNAWEERA

TM PRAKASH THENNAKOON

VICE PRESIDENT PUBLIC RELATIONS

TM CHAMODITH RANASINGHE

TM SENODI ADHIKARI

TM MUZAFAR MAZZAHEEM

TM SHAMEEM NAFFEEL

THE TREASURER

THE SECRETARY

TM WAYANI NIDEESHA

TM PUSHPITHA SENERATH

TM INDIRA ADHIKARI

TM THULSEE

KARUNARATHNA

TM CHETHIYA THENUWARA

SERGEANT AT ARMS

TM MADHAVINEE YATANWELA

TM INDUSARA ABEYKOON

TM DHANUSHKA MINIGAMMANA

TM SISIL JAYASINGHE

TM DAMMIKA WIJERATHNE

TM SARA SIHAM

TM UPUL RAJASEKERA

TM NALAKA LIYANARACHCHI

TM ROHANEE SENANAYAKE

TM NIROSHAN KARUNATHILAKE

REGULAR MEETING TIME

ON EVERY 2ND AND 4TH SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 9.00 AM-11.00 AM.

MEETING LOCATION

ESOFT METRO CAMPUS, NITTAMBUWA

GIHAN JAYAWEERA (PRESIDENT) +94 77 455 2336 CHAMODITH RANASINGHE (VPPR) +94 71 119 5946

ZOOM APP

DCP POINTS ACHIEVED 10 OUT OF 10 IN JUST 6 MONTHS PATHWAY ENROLMENT 100% CLUB QUALITY & ENGAGEMENT POINTS 100% UP TO NOW SMEDLEY AWARD WITH 9 NEW MEMBERS SPECIAL RECOGNITION FROM REGION 13 FOR THE OSTYLISH CAMPAIGN TOP FLYER OF THE MONTH AWARD SELECTED 3 TIMES OUT OF 5 MONTHS

LEVEL 1 COMPLETION Chamodith Ranasinghe Nalaka Liyanaarchchi

| |

Thulsee Karunarathne Imanthi Rajanayake

LEVEL 2 COMPLETION Madhivinee Yatanwela Muzaffar Mazaheem

| |

Sithiji Amarasena Chamodith Ranasinghe

LEVEL 3 COMPLETION Sankhanie Suraweera Madhivinee Yatanwela

| |

Gulzar Ahamad Pushpitha Senerath

LEVEL 4 COMPLETION Indusara Abeykoon

Gulzar Ahamad

OSTYLISH The story of

Profile Pictures

BY SITHIJI AMARASENA, TM

In Toastmasters we get together and support each other to mainly improve public speaking skills, leadership skills and communication skills. For that, in-person meetings play a major role. But due to an unexpected global pandemic everything has changed. Toastmasters International had to move to online platforms instead of in person gatherings. The challenge was that the virtual setting compromised physical activities and interactions. Maintaining continuous momentum, getting new members and maintaining member retention were emerging challenges. Having said that challenges make strong personalities & lead to invent creative solutions, Vice President Public Relations (VPPR) of Oasis Toastmaster club, Sri Lanka; TM Chamodith Ranasinghe came up with his PR plan for 2021/2022 with the new concept - "Ostylish". According to the plan we wanted to give novel experiences from the PR side to Toastmasters as well as for nonToastmasters. First step of the strategy was establishing the momentum in social media. For that we did several PR related activities and managed to grab the attention from desired stakeholders. At the beginning of August, we created an Ostylish profile picture for every member leaving no one behind and requested all members to update their Facebook profile pictures & WhatsApp display pictures at a predefined time. That made our flyers go viral with many views. As we planned, everything went well by proving that togetherness is the strength of a family. Every member provided their support. It should be mentioned that the initiative of the Ostylish display pictures of themselves made our members even more connected, by having a profile picture on the same theme. Even non-active members received a special recognition, as a result they tended to engage in more of the meetings and activities amongst the club. Main objective was to grab attention from non-Toastmasters and attract external stakeholders to the Oasis Toastmasters club.

Facebook Post Insights

“A creative PR initiative! Here, is a club that has taken PR to the next level by providing members with a profile picture with Toastmasters branding. As and when the profile/display picture gets noticed by their friends/acquaintances in Social media, the Toastmasters logo as well as the club name too get noticed! What an interesting way of implicitly saying "Ask me about Toastmasters"!

Kudos to the VP-PR Chamodith Ranasinghe of Oasis Toastmasters Club, Nittambuwa of District 82 Toastmasters !!

Region 13 advisor

DTM Suganthi Periasamy

Click here for Original post

Within a short period of time, we could achieve the expected results. Had many inquiries from NonToastmasters, “What Toastmaster actually is?”, “How to join Toastmasters?”. We answered proudly that Toastmasters can help you lose the fear of public speaking and learn skills that will help you be more successful in your chosen endeavor with integrity, respect, service, and excellence. HOW WE ILLUSTRATE OSTYLISH

(1) “O” means Oasis (2) The member inside the “O” symbolizes the family. Always there to improve oneself leaving no one behind. Also to enhance that Oasis (Family) will always support you from the behind and whenever there’s a need, Family comes to the front to protect you.

OASIS TOASTMASTERS NITTAMBUWA

6 4 1 2

TM NEETHA PERERA

7 3 5

(3) The scatter effect emanated from Marvel Infinity war. (“I’m Inevitable” – Thanos) Implying that this family will last forever. (4) The Confident Member’s posture is a mere portrayal of the confident leader as a product of Toastmasters. (5&6) Toastmasters International wordmark logo & club name Additionally, it is important to note that only TMI brand approved colors have been used according to the brand manual--True Maroon (Leadership) and Loyal Blue (Dedication). (7) "TM" - The abbreivation for Toastmasters The word stylish evidently means that we are unique and contrastive. While bringing ourselves as outstanding characters, We are also shading ourselves.

Our PR team was smart to understand this momentum and uploaded all profile pictures to one album in our official Facebook page. According to insights, in less than 48 hours, almost 4,000 reached the album with over 300 interactions. At that time, we had a total of 1,200 followers.

This activity was a massive boost for us. Many started to follow us, reach us, and appreciate our effort. Many guests lined up for our next meeting as well as visiting toastmasters from around the world. Had few invitations from other Toastmasters clubs for joint meetings as well. At the end the PR objective was achieved.

Finally, this is an open invitation to all the clubs of Toastmasters International, to implement & replicate our PR initiative to attract non-Toastmasters to the organization as well as to strengthen the unity, to increase the engagement and to increase member retention. Therefore, we believe this concept can be used effectively and efficiently on social media to uplift the popularity and awareness of Toastmasters International. SPECIAL MENTION: CHAMIL MADUSANKA, TM CHIRANTHA SIRIKUMARA, TM GIHAN JAYAWEERA, TM CHAMODITH RANASINGHE, TM

NEW TM Rohanee Senanayake

TM Yumna Afzal

I was a bit nervous of public speaking and English, also I needed to figure them out and solve them. One day I saw Indira's status and then I started to search about Toastmasters. I was curious about what Toastmaster is. Finally, I decided that, this is the best place to quench my thirst.

I studied at Lyceum International School, Gampaha and have currently completed BSc in Biotechnology. I have always wanted to improve my confidence in public speaking and become a better speaker. Therefore, joining Oasis TMC has been an amazing decision as it has helped me improve my speaking abilities a lot.

TM Shameem Nafeel

TM Sara Siham

I've studied at D.S.Senanayake College, Colombo and completed my higher education at Cardiff Metropolitan university, UK. Currently I've my own business venture. I've joined Toastmasters recently because I believe Toastmasters is a wonderful platform to improve my public speaking and the leadership skills. Currently I'm witnessing those changes in myself and looking forward for more positive developments.

My journey to Toastmasters began in 2020, after years and years of my brother, TM Gulzar Ahmed forcing me into joining Toastmasters. I’ve been part of the Oasis Toastmasters club as a guest at several occasions and I have to be honest, the members of this club treats you like family! It was then I realized that I need to be part of such a wonderful family, that doesn’t just care for you but also helps you to become a better version of yourself.

TM Tharushi Sirikumara

TM Lakitha Rathnaweera

I studied at Bishop's College and currently I am doing my higher studies in the field of law and diplomacy. I believe that Toastmasters is great platform to get rid of my public speaking agitation and develop my public speaking and leadership skills.

Currently I'm working as a Lecturer. I joined Toastmasters because it helps people to develop their skills in English. Not only public speaking, but in many aspects including grammar, spellings etc.

CONTINUES... TM Vathsala Liyanarachi

TM Sisil Jayasinghe

Presently I am working as a freelance Accountant and financial consultant by my profession. My brother introduced Toastmasters and I joined with the aim of improving my public speaking and leadership qualities.

I am interested in toastmasters since it helps me to improve my public speaking, communication and leadership skills through its learning pathways. So I am happy to be a part of this great organization.

TM Chethiya Thenuwara

TM Dhanushka Minigammana

I am final year engineering undergraduate at University of Peradeniya. I joined Toastmasters to improve public speaking and interpersonal communication skills. My goal is to be a leader who can motivate the team I am working with.

I'm working as a Mathematics teacher. I joined Toastmasters to improve my public speaking skills to use in any situation without anxiety of speaking and also to develop interpersonal and leadership to achieve a great presentation skills.

TM Mahendra Liyanarachchi

TM Danushke Ganepola

I am currently working as an administrator in the education sector. My job involves engaging with students. Therefore, I joined the toastmasters to improve my public speaking skills. Thank you Oasis Toastmasters Club for showing me the pathway for that.

Currently I am working as a Deputy Manger Project contract, in TAISEI Corporation , Bandaranayake international Development project -Katunayaka. I believe that Toastmasters is a great platform to develop my public speaking and leadership skills.

TM Niroshan Karunatilake

TM Prakash Thennakoon

I wanted to improve my English knowledge with practical experience. When I was searching for a method, one of my friends told me about Toastmasters. With that l joined with Oasis TMC. I'm really enjoying the activities at the club and I feel that I would be able to achieve my goal soon.

I am currently pursuing Bachelor of Civil Engineering from University of Moratuwa. I joined Toastmasters to build up my English speaking confidence.

OWN

THE MEMORY LANE

“WE PROVIDE A SUPPORTIVE AND POSITIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN WHICH MEMBERS ARE EMPOWERED TO DEVELOP COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS, RESULTING IN GREATER SELF-CONFIDENCE AND PERSONAL GROWTH”. BY MADHAVINEE YATANWELA, TM

Can you believe how the time flies? The decades, the years, the months, the weeks and the days are flowing so fast like gone with the wind. Yet, it’s another mile stone that we crossed over to felicitate and celebrate another wonderful day. It’s the magnificent day that OASIS TOASTMASTERS CLUB celebrated its Semiquincentennial meeting day which means the 250th meeting. And I’m also a proud member to witness this memorable day. The history of the OASIS TOASTMASTERS CLUB walks it’s isle for 11 good old years starting in 2010. In simple words we are one proud club to raise its bounds to be a unique club as we are one of the very oldest clubs in the District 82 Area F1. The founder member of OASIS TOASTMASTERS CLUB is Toastmaster Chandra Liyanaarachchi who’s the Charter president. From that golden day onwards the club is hosted by eleven leaders. (Please check page 6 for the list of leaders) Oasis Toastmasters Club is a blend of cultures coming from different cultural backgrounds and religious backgrounds. When it’s New Year Season, Christmas, Deepavali or Ramazan the club members are like one family. They all get together to felicitate each other and to celebrate with each other. That’s the beauty of all of the members in the club. In simple words there are no barriers between us. We are like one big family. Toastmasters is not only about personal development but also it’s a place where anyone can feel and call “FAMILY”. We never make our guests who enter into our family make hesitate. Our doors are always open for anyone who wishes to be a great speaker and an amazing leader. Starting from the Sergeant-At-Arms to the President and from there to the other role players the meetings are rolling very smoothly, interestingly and very funny. The most exciting time comes after the meeting when there are tits and tats. This is the platform where all the members get the chance to exchange their beautiful ideas and all the chitty chatty start.

Oasis is gradually stepping its' foot on different new experiments. One such experiment which we took over is Grammarian not only introduces the word of the day but also a food for thought, a poem or a Tongue Twister. And also the Grammarian will introduce the word of the day by using a puzzle. The members are really inquisitive and eager to take over roles when these interesting changes are happening. In our club the Zoom Master is always an active person. He’s the one who takes every member into the meeting room and entertains with music before the meeting commences. The Zoom Master always rocks the entire meeting with different entertainments. We’ve very experienced Zoom Masters with us who even plays in different contests. Another interesting change we took as a club is having a Quiz program and a Quiz Master. The very first Quiz program was done on the 250th meeting and everyone enjoyed the segment including the District Directress, District 82, DTM srianthie Salgado, Division Director TM Eranga Dilhan, Assistant Division F Directress – Program Quality, District 82 DTM Shehara Dissanayke, Immediate Past Area Director TM Chamil Madusanka, who’s a member of our club and Area Directress TM Prarthana Liyanaarachchi Oasis is also a proud family to have backbones in the Area. We’ve got amazing pinnacle speakers such as DTM Nuwan Rajapaksha who is the 1st Runners up Division F Contest in 2016, Area F3 Winner in International, Table Topics and Evaluation in 2016 and 2nd Runners up in Evaluation Contest division F; TM Gulzar Ahamad Division F 1st Runners up in table Topics in both 2018 and 2019; and TM Sithiji Amarasena who’s also a TV Presenter. Not to forget TM Chirantha Sirikumara who’s also one of our proud family member as well as one of our Past Presidents and the current Assistant AD Club Growth for the Area also has pasted memories to the Club awards Photo Album by winning the 2nd place in the Humorous Speech Contest in the club level and the area level.

Down the Memory Lane continues... DTM Nuwan Rajapaksha is a memorable and an outstanding character who won the universe. He’s the First DTM to be introduced from the club to the Toastmasters Fraternity and the second to follow him is DTM Punsirimewan Kamburawela who’s also an energetic character in the club. We are one such lucky club to have all these wonderful people with us who are always supporting and guiding us to the best out of best. Toastmasters is “Where leaders are made”. WE’VE DONE 250 MEETINGS……… Can you believe it? Up to now we’ve created many leaders. At once if someone hears this, they’ll think I’m exaggerating my own mother club. But, we did it. The day was on 5th of December 2021. The theme of the day was "Down the Memory Lane". The Present Executive Members, President TM Gihan Jayaweera, VP Education TM Sankhanee Suraweera, VP Membership TM Sithiji Amarasena, VP Public Relations TM Chamodith Ranasinghe, Treasurer TM Pushpitha Senarath, Secretary TM Wayani Disanayaka and Sergeant At Arms TM Madhavinee Yatanwala together with the club members organized the big day.

The special invitees for the day were District Directress, District 82, DTM srianthie Salgado, Division Director TM Eranga Dilhan, Assistant Division F Directress – Program Quality, District 82 DTM Shehara Dissanayke and Area Directress TM Prarthana Liyanaarachchi. The day was colorful by the special Panel Discussion moderated by one of our enthusiastic young talented Doctor to be TM Indira Adikari and the panelists were DTM Shehara Dissanayke, TM Chamil Madusanka and TM Prarthana Liyanaarachchi. The Discussion floor was all about “Going back through the Toastmasters memory lane and discuss how to balance professional life with life as a Toastmaster”. The People’s Princess, Lady Diana Spencer once said, “Family is the most important in the world” Yes. It’s true. A club family is also one such another gorgeous family in the globe.

This is the beauty of the Toastmasters life. Come and enjoy the elegance and achieve new experiments to your lives.

MEETING ALBUM, CLICK HERE

“Toastmasters is not only about personal development but also it is a place where you can call “family”. I didn’t understand the true essence of this statement until I visited Oasis Toastmasters Club. I witnessed that club members had a strong family like bond with each other but that didn’t stop them from warmly welcoming their guests to the meeting which is quite impressive." As a Toastmaster who has visited numerous clubs in the past few months virtually. I noticed something unique about Oasis, and that’s the novelty and innovation. Most of the Toastmasters Clubs I visited follow typical routine or program. It seems that Oasis is not hesitating to do bit of experimenting with innovative ideas transcending that traditional program flow. It I also a haven to plethora of eloquent speakers from diverse backgrounds. Indeed as the name itself implies, Oasis Toastmasters Club is truly an invaluable oasis in desert (outstation area) where Toastmasters seemed unreachable. I’m glad that I got a chance to stop by and quench my thirst from this Oasis on the way of my Toastmasters journey. Toastmaster Shehan Paul “I really enjoyed the meeting. Specially, the educational presentation and the Kahoot game which was a great way to keep the audience engaged! I learnt many things and most importantly felt a warm welcome at the club meeting.”

Toastmaster Aaqel Mohamed HSBC GSC Toastmasters Club

Tampines West Toastmasters Club, Singapore “Oasis Toastmasters is a Toastmasters Club with a distinct culture and a welcoming atmosphere. Members of the club, notably Exco, create an exceptional environment by being incredibly nice and helpful. I’d heard about the OASIS Toastmasters’ abilities and wonderful speeches, and I was fortunate to witness them firsthand by attending a club meeting. OASIS is inarguably one of the friendliest TM clubs in Sri Lanka.”

Toastmaster Methsara Benaragama Central Colombo Toastmasters Club

BE HAPPY What makes us happy? How can we always stay happy and sane? Is life really about who has the biggest gold chain, who drives the shiniest or fastest car, who sells the most albums, or who has the most respect? Today, happiness is viewed in a variety of ways. Everyone defines happiness in their own way, based on their own experiences. Each person describes their inner feelings in a unique way that cannot be compared to another. Happiness, in its original and logical sense, refers to an inner state of well-being or a pleasurable or satisfying experience. It allows you to reap the benefits of your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life. What makes you happy and what makes me happy are not the same. Whatever it is that gives you the warm fuzzies is entirely up to you and only you. This distinction is what keeps the world interesting. The majority of our happiness stems from the feeling of love. Many people look to their love relationships, particularly marriage, to provide them with happiness that they cannot find elsewhere. If love isn't enough to bring happiness, there must be a lot of unhappy lovers in the world. The belief that love guarantees happiness stems from the romantic love ideology, which tells us that we will live happily ever after if we can only find the right person with whom to spend our lives. If we recognize that love alone will not bring happiness, we will hopefully be more tolerant of the flaws of those we love. If our relationships have problems and those we care about do not always live up to our expectations, it does not mean that we have lost our chance at happiness. There will be more room for love when we do not expect it to bring us the happiness we have seen. According to the author of Happiness now! Robert Holden, "happiness and self-acceptance are inextricably linked." In fact, your level of happiness is determined by your level of self-acceptance. The greater your self-acceptance, the more happiness you will allow yourself to accept, receive, and enjoy.

In other words, you experience as much happiness as you believe you are deserving of." So, in a nutshell, selfacceptance = happiness. When you accept yourself, you are unavoidably setting yourself up for happiness. The fact that self-acceptance is unconditional is one of its most important characteristics. We frequently only love ourselves when we are doing well or when we achieve a goal. Selfacceptance, on the other hand, teaches us that we should love ourselves regardless of our circumstances. We are valuable even if we fail or make a mistake. As a result, our happiness can be unconditional as well. Our happiness is not determined by whether or not someone likes us. It is determined by who we are but not what we do or how society perceives us. You have the right to be happy right now. Your happiness is determined by your point of view. A large part of it is also determined by how you speak to yourself. Your mental patterns shape your reality. But… The concept of perpetual happiness and positive thinking is precisely what leads to more unhappiness. When you are unhappy, you believe that there is something wrong with you. You will eventually spiral downward, leading to an exhausting cycle. In reality, you're just going through a range of emotions. Other emotions will come up for you at different times. We've been sold on the idea that happiness is the most important thing. It's not. You'll feel sad, excited, scared, or anything else at times. Whatever you feel is purely your body's chemicals reacting to the environment and temporary impulses. Nothing will be easy in this life; we will cry, laugh, scream, and remain silent. What you do to break through that barrier defines you. There are more than one way to get over a wall! Keep that in mind! We learn after adversity what it means to truly love ourselves and how important it is to look in the mirror and say to ourselves, "You are beautiful." Positive thinking increases self-esteem and confidence. See, how I said I was comparing myself?

Written by

Toastmaster Thulsee Karunarathne Those thoughts made me feel less confident. I hung up the phone and went about my business, making myself feel beautiful and competent. It is difficult to think positively! With everything we go through as women, positive thinking requires a lot of discipline. Your body regenerates itself with new cells, resulting in new thoughts and habits. Start thinking positively and doing things that will make you feel like you are enough. If you believe you can change the world, you will most likely be the one to do so. Put your social media accounts aside and focus on what's right in front of you right now. Nothing beats maturing and realizing that you are sufficient. Everything you have is a gift from the Creator. There is nothing more or less. You are exactly who the creator created you to be, and that is perfection. You are not a mistake, and the mistakes you do make aid in your development into the person you were born to be. Consider this when you've reached a stumbling block: I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. That allows me to relax and not be concerned about where I am in life. Trust yourself and work hard. Life gives no promises, all that the universe recognizes is your energy. You give out good energy, you will be given exactly what you give out.

Whatever you believe to be true or what you believe will happen, being yourself will never let you down in the end. Life will be much easier if you figure out who you are and celebrate it. My life experiences have taught me that self-acceptance is the key to happiness. This is what I believe.

A CAT’S TALE WHAT IF A HOUSE CAT OWNED A DIARY? READ ON AND FIND OUT ABOUT THE IMAGINATIVE MUSINGS AND RECOLLECTIONS OF ONE OF EARTH’S MOST GRACEFUL AND BELOVED ANIMALS. DAY 20

BY YUMNA AFZAL, TM

Despite being one of the most majestic and glorious creatures in the world, I am still subjected to several indignities by the humans. The worst of which was being given dry food that even a dog cannot swallow while the humans dine lavishly on meat. I have decided to take my revenge and escape this place but first I must go ruin a piece of furniture. DAY 21 My name is Simba. It might not be the trendiest name around, but I have never been an arrogant type of cat. I like to enjoy the simple things in life. Of course, that’s not my real name. It is the name given to me by the humans I live with. It is a rather annoying name. Nevertheless, I have decided to accept it for now as there is no way those human mouths could pronounce my actual cat name. Maybe once these humans understand my magnificence, I shall allow them to learn of my true name. DAY 22 Although I have accepted being called Simba, I don’t have to like it. So, I decided to show the humans what I am capable of. I decapitated a mouse and bought the head to my captors. The plan did not work out as they just cooed over me saying what a good cat I was. The mouse head was thrown away which was an un-fur-tunate waste if you ask me. DAY 23 I think of myself as a rather wellbalanced cat, at least I have a variety of hobbies and enjoyable pursuits. Some of them being scratching at furniture, chasing squirrels, and sleeping on top of the black couch. I also own quite -

- a collection of my few things. My favorites are a ball of yarn, two elastic bands, a crow feather, and the younger human. DAY 24 When the humans first started giving me the ball of yarn, I was amused at them. As if a being such as I would stoop down to playing with yarn. They dangled bizarre objects in my face. Feathers and balls of yarn? Did they think that a self-controlled being such as I would jump at them? Although the movement of the yarn ball was rather tempting me… Meow ! Scratch that. I regret those words now. There is no better thing to do than to tear a ball of yarn to shreds between my claws.

DAY 25 I played a lot today with my yarn ball. There are pieces of yarn scattered everywhere on the floor. The older female human looks upset with me but of course I don’t care. The older human put me out of the house. She always does that and upsets my sleeping schedules. One day I will have my revenge on her. Since I was outside I might as well go for a walk and see if there are any squirrels or sparrows to catch. I circled the entire garden, on the way I met Ricky. Ricky was sleeping on the stone bench. Ricky is a large tabby cat with 3 scars on his face. No one knows how he got the scars but I heard he fought a dog. All the other neighbourhood catsP.T.O

- avoid him and so do I. The elder human at my house particularly dislikes him, she calls him a thieving cat. I did not wake him up and instead went on my way. I can hear the younger human calling for me. I will not go back immediately. After all they put me out, they can afford to wait a little for my return. DAY 26

DAY 27 I could not ruin any furniture today as something shocking has happened. The humans have removed the black sheet from the couch. There is no longer any place for me to sleep. I demand justice and will have my revenge.

I do not like the older female human and she does not like me back. We are mutual enemies but sometimes when she is in a good mood, she gives me fish. So, I continue to be patient with her. But this time she has gone too far by putting me out. As revenge I have decided to vomit in her bed. The older human discovered my deed, she is very angry and scolded the younger female human for not looking after me properly.

"I vomited four times in protest on the bed, but this seems to have no effect. It seems I must find another resting place. The computer keyboard looks like a perfect spot. The younger human is not pleased with me, but this is what happens when you deny me of my resting place."

DAY 28

DAY 29

DAY 30

Out of all the humans in the house, I must say I possess a certain fondness for the younger human. Maybe because she always gives me really good food to eat. She also doesn’t mind too much when I sleep on her bed. She is also the only person who appreciates my beauty. And calls me “My pretty cat”. I want to tell her that I don’t belong to her but I like being called pretty. I am not arrogant but we all like to be called pretty. She has good taste. To show my appreciation, I decided to bring her a dead mouse. After all who doesn’t appreciate a good dead mouse.

I take back my words about the younger human having good taste. She is clearly uncultured. She did not appreciate my gift of a dead rat at all. Instead of sniffing it and enjoying it,

I have found out that my human captors are among the evilest beings in the world. I was subjected to a cruel water punishment called a ‘bath’. It involved being rubbed all over by a burning chemical called shampoo. Only a truly sick mind could have invented such a horror. My only consolation is that I managed to claw my captor’s hand. Although after the bath, I was granted the most blissful massage.

"she screamed in horror and threw it out!" I actually went to a lot of trouble to catch the fattest mouse and she throws it out. Clearly my talents and hard work are wasted in a place like this.

MEOW

The humans do have their uses. Perhaps being a captive cat is not so bad after all. Meow!

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