Thursday, March 10, 2011
International Toastmasters Contest for Evaluation - Area level
Gaaa... I made it through the club level evaluation contest and headed today to participate in the area level contest.
Monday, March 7, 2011
At Sierra Arts Foundation - Arts and Oscars 2011
Feb 27th 2010 5.30 pm...
Thanks to Robin, Brad and I got to attend the Arts and Oscars party this year. It was great fun, great food, great time. I love movies and I have been following almost all the Oscar nominations.
This year, A R Rahman was nominated for Original Score and Soundtrack for the movie "127 Hours". For those of you who don't know, A R Rahman is from Chennai(Madras), India. I have been listening to his music since I was in school. Needless to say, I was super excited!
At the Oscar party this year, as I was rooting for A R Rahman, Robin handed me the microphone and requested I explain why I am the only one who is rooting for this random guy :)
I picked up the microphone and explained so proudly. After I was done, my friend said "You grabbed the microphone and went for it" and it dawned on my right there and then and I said "Toastmasters!"
Get to the point - Toastmasters Speech 3
If you would allow me, I would talk for hours with absolutely no point. So you can imagine. This was a challenging task. So, what do I want to tell the world? This was surprisingly a difficult question for me to answer. What do I want to tell the world?
After much thinking, I chose this aspect of my life which I strongly believe in and live by. I have been a vegetarian by birth and now by choice. When I decided to speak about vegetarianism, I wanted to narrow down my point. What do I want to convey?
My intension was not to convert or preach. This kind of subject, I felt, can be sensitive and
touchy. Instead of focusing on any negative opinion/facts/ideas about meat, I wanted to focus
on positives about vegetarianism. To put ahead the fact that vegetarian food can be fun and tasty! I picked benefits that would appeal to audiences of different kind. I picked misconceptions that might scare people away and I picked some tips of how to transform.
I found great tips and points on the web. So here it goes.
Give peas a chance
A not-so-preachy speech from a Vegetarian
--------------------------------------------------
To lead a fun Vegetarian life – is it possible?
Good morning fellow toastmasters and Guests
I come from a land of “holy cows”. In my family, for generations we have believed in non-violence against other living creatures and for those reasons, I have never even tasted meat. But when I started travelling, I understood that not only is vegetarianism is a new concept in many countries, but some people don’t even think it’s possible… and some who know it’s possible, think that it must be very boring and painful way of life. People pity me saying "Ah, you have never had meat; you doesn’t know what you are missing” Agreed… but my husband knows what he is missing. He has been a vegetarian for past 3 years.
There are many reasons why vegetarianism can be for you. Today I am going to share with you the benefits, the general misconceptions that scare people and some of tips for transformation.
Benefits
---------
If you are someone who cared about health -
- The American Dietetic association has stated that at all stages of life, a properly planned vegetarian diet provides health benefits in prevention and treatment of certain diseases
- A vegetarian life is heart friendly. Vegetarians are at lower risk of developing: Heart Disease, renal disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high blood pressure.
- You can also reduce your body mass index, and lower the cholesterol level. If you think you have weight problems that need attention, this would work great for you.
If health doesn’t talk to you and money does -
- Being a vegetarian can cut your food bills considerably.
If you are someone who cares about environment and world -
- You can reduce famine. A big % of grains produced in US is used to feed animals raised for food.
- Meat production is requires massive amount of land, food, energy and water. There is also a huge deal of pollution caused by manure, methane gas that even contributes to global warming.
If you are someone who cares about animals like me -
- Then you probably don’t want to hear about the horrific treatment of animals raised for food, even before they are slaughtered. You want to reduce your involvement in that.
There are many more benefits that I could not speak of today. Bu you see, there is a benefit that appeals to every aspect in us.
Misconceptions
---------------
1) Vegetarian food = salads, steamed vegetables and side dishes.
I am lucky to have grown up in India because we have a very diverse variety of Vegetarian food.
Honestly salad is my least favorite food.
If you have an open mind, you can experiment vegetarian food of various variety. Pastas, Lasagne, chili, burritos, spaghetti and meat ball substitutes, various rice dishes, sandwiches and even sushi.These days, you have so many meat alternatives, the list is endless.
2) All vegetarians are healthier than animal product consumers
A lady once today me "You look very healthy for a vegetarian". It was obviously a weird compliment. Some people who go vegetarian on unbalanced diets.
These types of vegetarians are usually teens and younger people who do not quite fully understand the idea of vegetarianism and become deficient in various nutrients.
3) Vegetarians don’t eat enough proteins
This is probably the most common myth. Beans, quinoa, nuts, brown rice is great source of proteins. In fact, studies are many universities like Harvard have confirmed that vegetarian diets provide sufficient protein intake.
Tips
-----
Now, vegetarianism is not for everyone.
If you fanatically love meat, if you already lead a healthy life, if you don’t care about health and for various other reasons, it might not be for you.
Have good reasons – Know why you are doing it because any life style change needs motivation.
Stronger the reason, easier it is.
Research about it – You don’t have to believe anything I said. Do your own research to understand what is necessary once you decide to be a vegetarian. You also need to see if it will work for YOU.
Find good recipes and slowly transform – Find good recipes you want to try and try one recipe a week. Start by replacing red meat (usually the most unhealthy) with some veggie dish. Gradual transition into vegetarianism will be very helpful. Eventually cut other meat produces. You can also include meat substitutes.
Include a well balanced diet – you could be a vegetarian and eat junk food. That will not magically make you healthy. Plan a well balanced diet.
Tell your family and friends – You need to explain to ppl who are close to you your reason. Some ppl will have hard time with it, some will understand you. If you feel strongly about, stick to it.
Have fun – You need to have an open mind, try new things. Don’t look at it as a punishment or ordeal. Remember to enjoy the experience.
So, to lead a fun Vegetarian life – is it possible? I say yes.
Think about it... is vegetarianism for you? Today your answer could be "No way! Are you mad?"
It's fine! But think about it, every time something changes in your life, every time you have health concerns. Today it might not be the right choice for you. Maybe someday, it will be...
When that day comes, remember this speech, remember it is possible to lead a fun vegetarian life. And when you are ready give peas a chance.
Thank you.
--------------------
I had to leave out few points due to time constraints. In order to be sincere and not look prepared, I did not use any notes. I made sure to use the speaking area to walk around and make eye contact. I was comfortable than last time.
I should have tied my hair away from the face (bangs man!) so my face was more visible.
I could have also distributed some information that audience could look at a later point of time.
Fun!
After much thinking, I chose this aspect of my life which I strongly believe in and live by. I have been a vegetarian by birth and now by choice. When I decided to speak about vegetarianism, I wanted to narrow down my point. What do I want to convey?
My intension was not to convert or preach. This kind of subject, I felt, can be sensitive and
touchy. Instead of focusing on any negative opinion/facts/ideas about meat, I wanted to focus
on positives about vegetarianism. To put ahead the fact that vegetarian food can be fun and tasty! I picked benefits that would appeal to audiences of different kind. I picked misconceptions that might scare people away and I picked some tips of how to transform.
I found great tips and points on the web. So here it goes.
Give peas a chance
A not-so-preachy speech from a Vegetarian
--------------------------------------------------
To lead a fun Vegetarian life – is it possible?
Good morning fellow toastmasters and Guests
I come from a land of “holy cows”. In my family, for generations we have believed in non-violence against other living creatures and for those reasons, I have never even tasted meat. But when I started travelling, I understood that not only is vegetarianism is a new concept in many countries, but some people don’t even think it’s possible… and some who know it’s possible, think that it must be very boring and painful way of life. People pity me saying "Ah, you have never had meat; you doesn’t know what you are missing” Agreed… but my husband knows what he is missing. He has been a vegetarian for past 3 years.
There are many reasons why vegetarianism can be for you. Today I am going to share with you the benefits, the general misconceptions that scare people and some of tips for transformation.
Benefits
---------
If you are someone who cared about health -
- The American Dietetic association has stated that at all stages of life, a properly planned vegetarian diet provides health benefits in prevention and treatment of certain diseases
- A vegetarian life is heart friendly. Vegetarians are at lower risk of developing: Heart Disease, renal disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, high blood pressure.
- You can also reduce your body mass index, and lower the cholesterol level. If you think you have weight problems that need attention, this would work great for you.
If health doesn’t talk to you and money does -
- Being a vegetarian can cut your food bills considerably.
If you are someone who cares about environment and world -
- You can reduce famine. A big % of grains produced in US is used to feed animals raised for food.
- Meat production is requires massive amount of land, food, energy and water. There is also a huge deal of pollution caused by manure, methane gas that even contributes to global warming.
If you are someone who cares about animals like me -
- Then you probably don’t want to hear about the horrific treatment of animals raised for food, even before they are slaughtered. You want to reduce your involvement in that.
There are many more benefits that I could not speak of today. Bu you see, there is a benefit that appeals to every aspect in us.
Misconceptions
---------------
1) Vegetarian food = salads, steamed vegetables and side dishes.
I am lucky to have grown up in India because we have a very diverse variety of Vegetarian food.
Honestly salad is my least favorite food.
If you have an open mind, you can experiment vegetarian food of various variety. Pastas, Lasagne, chili, burritos, spaghetti and meat ball substitutes, various rice dishes, sandwiches and even sushi.These days, you have so many meat alternatives, the list is endless.
2) All vegetarians are healthier than animal product consumers
A lady once today me "You look very healthy for a vegetarian". It was obviously a weird compliment. Some people who go vegetarian on unbalanced diets.
These types of vegetarians are usually teens and younger people who do not quite fully understand the idea of vegetarianism and become deficient in various nutrients.
3) Vegetarians don’t eat enough proteins
This is probably the most common myth. Beans, quinoa, nuts, brown rice is great source of proteins. In fact, studies are many universities like Harvard have confirmed that vegetarian diets provide sufficient protein intake.
Tips
-----
Now, vegetarianism is not for everyone.
If you fanatically love meat, if you already lead a healthy life, if you don’t care about health and for various other reasons, it might not be for you.
Have good reasons – Know why you are doing it because any life style change needs motivation.
Stronger the reason, easier it is.
Research about it – You don’t have to believe anything I said. Do your own research to understand what is necessary once you decide to be a vegetarian. You also need to see if it will work for YOU.
Find good recipes and slowly transform – Find good recipes you want to try and try one recipe a week. Start by replacing red meat (usually the most unhealthy) with some veggie dish. Gradual transition into vegetarianism will be very helpful. Eventually cut other meat produces. You can also include meat substitutes.
Include a well balanced diet – you could be a vegetarian and eat junk food. That will not magically make you healthy. Plan a well balanced diet.
Tell your family and friends – You need to explain to ppl who are close to you your reason. Some ppl will have hard time with it, some will understand you. If you feel strongly about, stick to it.
Have fun – You need to have an open mind, try new things. Don’t look at it as a punishment or ordeal. Remember to enjoy the experience.
So, to lead a fun Vegetarian life – is it possible? I say yes.
Think about it... is vegetarianism for you? Today your answer could be "No way! Are you mad?"
It's fine! But think about it, every time something changes in your life, every time you have health concerns. Today it might not be the right choice for you. Maybe someday, it will be...
When that day comes, remember this speech, remember it is possible to lead a fun vegetarian life. And when you are ready give peas a chance.
Thank you.
--------------------
I had to leave out few points due to time constraints. In order to be sincere and not look prepared, I did not use any notes. I made sure to use the speaking area to walk around and make eye contact. I was comfortable than last time.
I should have tied my hair away from the face (bangs man!) so my face was more visible.
I could have also distributed some information that audience could look at a later point of time.
Fun!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Organize your speech - Toastmasters Speech 2
This January, I volunteered to present my second speech at the Toastmasters club.
The goal of this speech is to organize your speech with a good opening, body and conclusion. The idea is that a well organized speech is clearer to the audience and ideas expressed are easier to remember.
To me, more than organizing the speech itself, the challenge was to select a speech topic. As I thought about the speech, I quickly realized that this is not as easy as it seems. Ice breaker was easy to prepare because you were told what the topic was. But with the second speech, you are responsible to pick an interesting topic.
And there I was, stuck. I thought, I thought and I thought. I could have spoken about some personal experience, talk about a time of life which was interesting and so on. But I did not want to do any of that. I feel it is always easy to talk about something out of your personal experience. But it is very difficult to talk about something with which you have no personal or emotional attachment. Hence, I posed this as a personal challenge.
One afternoon, at work, I took a break to stare at my watch. I noticed that the bezel on my watch was not positioned right. It did not look like it looked the last time. My watch is a diver's watch, but I did not understand the purpose of unidirectional bezel rotation. I decided to "google" about it. Apparently, divers set the bezel on the watch to match the minute they start to keep track of the time they can be underwater. I thought that piece of fact was interesting and there! A topic for my speech was born. Here it is...
Speech 2 - Organize your speech (5-7 minutes)
Time and Again - History and evolution of Wristwatches
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opening -
Let's us time travel a little today and learn about the history and evolution of watches.
16th Century
In Horology, this period was of great advancement and innovation. Peter Heinlein, a German watchmaker often considered the inventor of the portable timekeeper made the first known watch in early 1500s.
What you see here is a 16th century watch made by Peter Heinlein.
The watches made during this period were fastened to clothing or around the neck. There was no glass covering, but usually had a brass cover, often decoratively pierced with grillwork.
Also, the watches had only one hour hand. The accuracy very poor, that they were practically useless. They were made as jewelry and novelties for noble, a display of social status.
17th Century
This period saw little in the way of technical innovation. Early watches slowed down during their running period, problem called lack of Isochronisms. So they thought... let’s work on the decoration.
This is a early 17th century watch made of gold, enamel and precious stones. Precious metal were engraved, watches were jeweled, pierced and enameled for decoration. Glass was used to cover the face of the watches.
Then was the English Protestant Puritan movement which advocated the simplification and regulation of forms of worship. As a result of which unornamented watches became popular. Fancy shapes and adornment were usually confined to women’s watches.
Around 18th Century
After men figured that they couldn’t wear fancy watches, they decided to focus back on the technology. With addition of the balance spring during this period, accuracy improved greatly. It also resulted in the addition of the minute hand to the face.
One other important change that happened during this period occurred when Charles II of England introduced waistcoats. Men began to wear watches in pockets instead of as pendants.
With the increase in accuracy it was also noted that the position of the watch had an effect. The watch would gain or lose time depending on the pendant and face positions.
19th Century
The Enlightenment view of watches as scientific instruments brought rapid advances to their mechanisms. Almost accurate marine chronometers were made to determine longitudes during sea voyages. But till this point, watches were handmade and assembled until Americans came into play.
The Americans were the first to begin volume production. Mass production of watches was pioneered by the Waltham Watch Company in Massachusetts. Also with the use of railroads and for safety, first precision and reliable timepiece inspection system for Railroad chronometers were made.
This is a Hamilton railroad pocket watch, dated 1890s.
20th Century
During World War I was when Wristwatches were made and became popular. Patek Philippe created the first wristwatch in late 1800s. In 1904, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos Dumont asked his friend Louis Cartier to come up with an alternative that would allow him to keep both hands on the controls during flight.
Cartier soon came up with the first prototype for a man's wristwatch called the Santos wristwatch.
What you see here is a trench watch, World War I soldiers wore these wristwatches and slowly pocket watches were out of fashion.
21st Century
The introduction of the quartz watch in 1960s was a revolutionary improvement in watch technology. In place of a balance wheel, watches used a quartz crystal, driven by a battery powered. Now quartz watches had taken over most of the watch market from the mechanical watch industry.
Conclusion
Today, watch makers like Patek Philippe, Rolex and the like still make mechanical watches with grand complications which cost millions. At the same time, relatively cheap electronic watches with digital display, watches for divers, astronauts are at our disposal.
Next time you look at a watch, don't just look at the watch - think of the grand history, think of the engineering, think of it as an expression of individuality and social status and most of all think of it as a piece of art.
With all that in mind, please, please, please remember to take off your watch before you get into a fight.
Thank you!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had taken pictures with me of old watches to add visual interest.
After I finished the speech, I realized that I had missed lot of points I had in mind. I also missed showing the audience few pictures. I was also more keen on finishing the speech in time. So, forgetting some points really helped me stick to the time :)
Overall, the speech was OK. The opening and the conclusion was well received.
I realized how difficult it is to speak about topics such as this. This speech was a good eye opener for me.
The goal of this speech is to organize your speech with a good opening, body and conclusion. The idea is that a well organized speech is clearer to the audience and ideas expressed are easier to remember.
To me, more than organizing the speech itself, the challenge was to select a speech topic. As I thought about the speech, I quickly realized that this is not as easy as it seems. Ice breaker was easy to prepare because you were told what the topic was. But with the second speech, you are responsible to pick an interesting topic.
And there I was, stuck. I thought, I thought and I thought. I could have spoken about some personal experience, talk about a time of life which was interesting and so on. But I did not want to do any of that. I feel it is always easy to talk about something out of your personal experience. But it is very difficult to talk about something with which you have no personal or emotional attachment. Hence, I posed this as a personal challenge.
One afternoon, at work, I took a break to stare at my watch. I noticed that the bezel on my watch was not positioned right. It did not look like it looked the last time. My watch is a diver's watch, but I did not understand the purpose of unidirectional bezel rotation. I decided to "google" about it. Apparently, divers set the bezel on the watch to match the minute they start to keep track of the time they can be underwater. I thought that piece of fact was interesting and there! A topic for my speech was born. Here it is...
Speech 2 - Organize your speech (5-7 minutes)
Time and Again - History and evolution of Wristwatches
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Opening -
Time goes, you say? Ah no!With those words, I wish you all a very good morning. Time has always been an intriguing concept for humans and time keeping more so. Through the course of human civilization keeping track of time has been of utmost importance. And a watch has become culturally central to our lives.
Alas, Time stays, we go.
- Henry Austin Dobson
Let's us time travel a little today and learn about the history and evolution of watches.
16th Century
In Horology, this period was of great advancement and innovation. Peter Heinlein, a German watchmaker often considered the inventor of the portable timekeeper made the first known watch in early 1500s.
What you see here is a 16th century watch made by Peter Heinlein.
Also, the watches had only one hour hand. The accuracy very poor, that they were practically useless. They were made as jewelry and novelties for noble, a display of social status.
17th Century
This period saw little in the way of technical innovation. Early watches slowed down during their running period, problem called lack of Isochronisms. So they thought... let’s work on the decoration.
This is a early 17th century watch made of gold, enamel and precious stones. Precious metal were engraved, watches were jeweled, pierced and enameled for decoration. Glass was used to cover the face of the watches.
Then was the English Protestant Puritan movement which advocated the simplification and regulation of forms of worship. As a result of which unornamented watches became popular. Fancy shapes and adornment were usually confined to women’s watches.
Around 18th Century
After men figured that they couldn’t wear fancy watches, they decided to focus back on the technology. With addition of the balance spring during this period, accuracy improved greatly. It also resulted in the addition of the minute hand to the face.
One other important change that happened during this period occurred when Charles II of England introduced waistcoats. Men began to wear watches in pockets instead of as pendants.
With the increase in accuracy it was also noted that the position of the watch had an effect. The watch would gain or lose time depending on the pendant and face positions.
19th Century
The Enlightenment view of watches as scientific instruments brought rapid advances to their mechanisms. Almost accurate marine chronometers were made to determine longitudes during sea voyages. But till this point, watches were handmade and assembled until Americans came into play.
The Americans were the first to begin volume production. Mass production of watches was pioneered by the Waltham Watch Company in Massachusetts. Also with the use of railroads and for safety, first precision and reliable timepiece inspection system for Railroad chronometers were made.
This is a Hamilton railroad pocket watch, dated 1890s.
20th Century
During World War I was when Wristwatches were made and became popular. Patek Philippe created the first wristwatch in late 1800s. In 1904, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos Dumont asked his friend Louis Cartier to come up with an alternative that would allow him to keep both hands on the controls during flight.
Cartier soon came up with the first prototype for a man's wristwatch called the Santos wristwatch.
What you see here is a trench watch, World War I soldiers wore these wristwatches and slowly pocket watches were out of fashion.
21st Century
The introduction of the quartz watch in 1960s was a revolutionary improvement in watch technology. In place of a balance wheel, watches used a quartz crystal, driven by a battery powered. Now quartz watches had taken over most of the watch market from the mechanical watch industry.
Conclusion
Today, watch makers like Patek Philippe, Rolex and the like still make mechanical watches with grand complications which cost millions. At the same time, relatively cheap electronic watches with digital display, watches for divers, astronauts are at our disposal.
Next time you look at a watch, don't just look at the watch - think of the grand history, think of the engineering, think of it as an expression of individuality and social status and most of all think of it as a piece of art.
With all that in mind, please, please, please remember to take off your watch before you get into a fight.
Thank you!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had taken pictures with me of old watches to add visual interest.
After I finished the speech, I realized that I had missed lot of points I had in mind. I also missed showing the audience few pictures. I was also more keen on finishing the speech in time. So, forgetting some points really helped me stick to the time :)
Overall, the speech was OK. The opening and the conclusion was well received.
I realized how difficult it is to speak about topics such as this. This speech was a good eye opener for me.
Ice Breaker - Toastmasters Speech 1
It is probably an old story now. I am officially a member of Truckee Meadows Toastmasters club in Reno. It has been a fun experience so far.
Last month, was my turn to present my first speech at the Toastmasters club. The first speech is an Ice Breaker. It is a way to introduce you to the club members which in turn opens up a comfort level.
I thought long and hard about what I want to talk to introduce myself. How and what exactly do you tell about yourself in 4-6 minutes? I thought about my birthplace, my family, and my friends. But till this date, the greatest influence in my life has been the books I have read. I have very often been the book I have read. And as I look through my life, I see that time and again, my attitude towards life has been greatly influenced by the books I have read.
The thought occurred to me... I should talk about the books that have influenced me the most and how. With that in mind, I prepared a speech. Here is it...
Speech 1- Ice Breaker (4-6 minutes)
READ ME
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good Morning Fellow Toastmasters and guests
Opening -
I vividly remember reading a story called "Games at Twilight" when i was about 13 yrs old ... the story was about a boy who plays hide and seek with his friends, and by the end of it finds out that his friends did not remember to look for him. That they had moved on to play another game while he was hiding and waiting. He was silenced by the terrible sense of his insignificance.
Now that literary work, my friends, gave me about 6 yrs of depression every time the sunsets... first time a book influenced me without my knowledge.
There is a Proverb - “Tell me what you read, and I will tell you who you are”. That is what I am going to do today.
It’s interesting because in a way, you are giving away too much about yourself and in a way you still hold some mystery.
Body -
The past 28 years of my life can be divided in 4 phases, the 4 phases running both exclusively, inclusively, in parallel - big mess!
Phase 1 - I am better than everyone else
This is the final novel written by philosopher and author Ayn Rand. It is considered the second most influential book after the Bible. Mind bending!
It is a complex combination of mystery, love story, social criticism, and philosophy, and a celebration of individualism, free will, capitalism, logic, and reason.
I am fortunate because it’s one of the greatest books I will ever read.
By the end of reading this book, I had the least tolerance to mediocrity; I began to imagine that I belonged to the group of ideal characters in the book. Not fun!
It took me few years of reading more books and meeting some wonderful people, before I realized that I am really not that great. I am a very mediocre person.
But this book was the one that taught me that I should not be ok with it. Hence I strive every day, learn more, to be better.
Phase 2 - Simplicity is so easy, yet so difficult
Whenever I find life complicated, I always re-read this one book. It is a timeless, simple, wonderful classic.
This simple yet powerful book made me realized that we almost always know what the right thing to do is, but for some humanly reasons, we don't do it.
Right after my grandfather, Atticus Finch is my role model. I always wanted to grow up and be like him and do things with great integrity.
And I also learnt that you do not have to be loud to be a strong person. It also has taught me not to be judgmental about things and people.
It has influenced me very strongly on how I handle everyday situations.
Phase 3 - "It’s a magical world - Let's go exploring"
Once i turned 18, I did something that every adult should do - Start reading comics. It is my favorite, most cherished comic.
Humor to me is very important in my life. We are so engrossed in daily activities that we overlook obvious things, don’t observe, think of trivial things in life and find humor in them.
Every time I read this, I consciously decide to be youthful, silly and to not take myself too seriously... no matter how old I grow.
It is a necessity in my life - to read and laugh to Calvin and Hobbes.
Phase 4 - "up to taking up some challenges"
I am going through some challenging times and sadly the present-tense situation is that I am reading "Lord of the Rings".
There is something about the world confronting the dark times and some people set out there to, to save the world.
Intriguing... especially from my perspective where my day is taken up by the crucial decisions like what shoes to wear, should I eat for lunch, who should i vote for in American Idol and so on. To me these larger than life books, much needed big picture about life and invoke most profound thoughts like "What if I were an Elf..." :)
I have owned this book for 4yrs and had many attempts at reading it. May be once I finish this book, I can see how it ends up influencing me. But for now all you are going to know about me is that I am a slow reader.
Conclusion -
I feel really blessed to have discovered some wonderful books and looking forward to a life time of reading.
I have obviously discussed about these books and thoughts about them to some of my friends in the past.
Almost always sigh in relief and tell me "Thank God! That explains everything..."
Thank you.
Disclaimer - Please do not judge these books based on how I turned out :) I believe that no two people read the same book the same way.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To present this speech, I took with me the books I spoke about. I thought that visual display of the books was very important for the audience to relate to the subject. When i started speaking, I did not stick to the exact words written on my paper. I did not want to sound like I memorized the speech. I thought it should be natural, especially when the topic is you. It was fun!
Last month, was my turn to present my first speech at the Toastmasters club. The first speech is an Ice Breaker. It is a way to introduce you to the club members which in turn opens up a comfort level.
I thought long and hard about what I want to talk to introduce myself. How and what exactly do you tell about yourself in 4-6 minutes? I thought about my birthplace, my family, and my friends. But till this date, the greatest influence in my life has been the books I have read. I have very often been the book I have read. And as I look through my life, I see that time and again, my attitude towards life has been greatly influenced by the books I have read.
The thought occurred to me... I should talk about the books that have influenced me the most and how. With that in mind, I prepared a speech. Here is it...
Speech 1- Ice Breaker (4-6 minutes)
READ ME
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good Morning Fellow Toastmasters and guests
Opening -
I vividly remember reading a story called "Games at Twilight" when i was about 13 yrs old ... the story was about a boy who plays hide and seek with his friends, and by the end of it finds out that his friends did not remember to look for him. That they had moved on to play another game while he was hiding and waiting. He was silenced by the terrible sense of his insignificance.
Now that literary work, my friends, gave me about 6 yrs of depression every time the sunsets... first time a book influenced me without my knowledge.
There is a Proverb - “Tell me what you read, and I will tell you who you are”. That is what I am going to do today.
It’s interesting because in a way, you are giving away too much about yourself and in a way you still hold some mystery.
Body -
The past 28 years of my life can be divided in 4 phases, the 4 phases running both exclusively, inclusively, in parallel - big mess!
Phase 1 - I am better than everyone else
This is the final novel written by philosopher and author Ayn Rand. It is considered the second most influential book after the Bible. Mind bending!
It is a complex combination of mystery, love story, social criticism, and philosophy, and a celebration of individualism, free will, capitalism, logic, and reason.
I am fortunate because it’s one of the greatest books I will ever read.
By the end of reading this book, I had the least tolerance to mediocrity; I began to imagine that I belonged to the group of ideal characters in the book. Not fun!
It took me few years of reading more books and meeting some wonderful people, before I realized that I am really not that great. I am a very mediocre person.
But this book was the one that taught me that I should not be ok with it. Hence I strive every day, learn more, to be better.
Phase 2 - Simplicity is so easy, yet so difficult
Whenever I find life complicated, I always re-read this one book. It is a timeless, simple, wonderful classic.
This simple yet powerful book made me realized that we almost always know what the right thing to do is, but for some humanly reasons, we don't do it.
Right after my grandfather, Atticus Finch is my role model. I always wanted to grow up and be like him and do things with great integrity.
And I also learnt that you do not have to be loud to be a strong person. It also has taught me not to be judgmental about things and people.
It has influenced me very strongly on how I handle everyday situations.
Phase 3 - "It’s a magical world - Let's go exploring"
Once i turned 18, I did something that every adult should do - Start reading comics. It is my favorite, most cherished comic.
Humor to me is very important in my life. We are so engrossed in daily activities that we overlook obvious things, don’t observe, think of trivial things in life and find humor in them.
Every time I read this, I consciously decide to be youthful, silly and to not take myself too seriously... no matter how old I grow.
It is a necessity in my life - to read and laugh to Calvin and Hobbes.
Phase 4 - "up to taking up some challenges"
I am going through some challenging times and sadly the present-tense situation is that I am reading "Lord of the Rings".
There is something about the world confronting the dark times and some people set out there to, to save the world.
Intriguing... especially from my perspective where my day is taken up by the crucial decisions like what shoes to wear, should I eat for lunch, who should i vote for in American Idol and so on. To me these larger than life books, much needed big picture about life and invoke most profound thoughts like "What if I were an Elf..." :)
I have owned this book for 4yrs and had many attempts at reading it. May be once I finish this book, I can see how it ends up influencing me. But for now all you are going to know about me is that I am a slow reader.
Conclusion -
I feel really blessed to have discovered some wonderful books and looking forward to a life time of reading.
I have obviously discussed about these books and thoughts about them to some of my friends in the past.
Almost always sigh in relief and tell me "Thank God! That explains everything..."
Thank you.
Disclaimer - Please do not judge these books based on how I turned out :) I believe that no two people read the same book the same way.
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To present this speech, I took with me the books I spoke about. I thought that visual display of the books was very important for the audience to relate to the subject. When i started speaking, I did not stick to the exact words written on my paper. I did not want to sound like I memorized the speech. I thought it should be natural, especially when the topic is you. It was fun!
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