elo uenceQWMC TOASTMASTERS # 603459 AREA 35, DIVISION K, DISTRICT 20, KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

EDITION: 39 OCTOBER 2014I

UNLEASH

YOUR POTENTIALWMC TOASTMASTERS

KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

CHARTERED IN 2003 CLUB NO.603459 AREA 35 DIVISION K DISTRICT 20

WHERE LEADERS ARE MADE

2014-15

..an impression of our thoughts

The beginning of a new term is always a breathtaking journeyfor the new EXCOM. Can I take up this challenge and steer the

team through well? These were the thoughts which came into mymind and quite naturally because this is the 12 year of the cluband the club has been nurtured and developed by stalwarts whohave created a name for the club and I need to keep its reputationintact. But what is life without a challenge.

When the team was announced, I started feeling confident andsaid to myself I am lucky. My team is a rare combination ofenergetic and enthusiastic youngsters with a lot of potential and allI have to do is to guide them with a clear focus and a positiveattitude. When we have the potential it is better to unleash it and sowas born our theme “Unleash your Potential”. In implementing thistheme, this EXCOM has adopted few guiding principles: conductmeetings within the scheduled time, encourage members tounleash their potential, use technology to facilitate members tochoose their path to achieve their educational goals during theyear.

I am happy to state that we have started positively and as thesaying goes, well begun is half done. Our term started withWMCTMC being approached by Mar Thoma Church SundaySchool to hold the YLP for their children. The YLP was a goodbeginning for my team who strived hard to make it successful andwas widely appreciated by the students and their parents. Thiswould not have been possible without the support and motivationof our members and I owe a special thanks to our YLPcoordinators for their dedication and commitment in making theYLP a grand success.

We grabbed a good opportunity to conduct a special session onthe Indian Budget by our own member within less than a week ofthe presentation of the Indian Budget by the Finance Minister inNew Delhi. This clearly portrays the potential of our member/s andthe strong support we received from our members.

An important initiative which we have taken and alreadyimplemented is the interactive platform to benefit the memberscomplete their educational goals with proper planning. I owe aspecial thanks to VP Education and to my team who spearheadedthe use of technology and the social media platforms effectively. Iam sure all of you would be keen to utilize this properly.

As the summer holiday has come to an end, I look forward to ourmembers' presence, with active participation in the comingmonths. I wish to congratulate our VP-PR and the entire team forbringing out this issue of Eloquence. I look forward to more suchinteraction with all the members in the coming days.

Best regards

th

OUR MEETINGSMeeting time and venue:

First and third Friday every month4 pm – 6:30 pm at BoardroomCrowne Plaza Hotel, Bahrain

FIND US:

President’s

Message

TM Vaidyanathan Seshan

Website : http://603459.toastmastersclubs.org

WMC Toastmasters

WMC Toastmasters

WMC Toastmasters

wmctoastmasters@googlegroups.com

-1

Banner

TM Vaidyanathan SeshanPresident

TM Saju RamachandranVP Education

TM Anil KumarVP Membership

TM Kiran ChandranVP Public Relations

TM Pranjal ShahSecretary

TM Livin KumarTreasurer

TM Shankar PrasadIT Co-Ordinator & Sgt at arms

TM Raveendran MImmediate Past President

Mee

t th

e E

xcom

2014-1

5

-2

Toastmasters International is the leading move-ment devoted to making effective oral communica-tion a worldwide Reality.

Through its member clubs, ToastmastersInternational helps men and women learn the artsof speaking, listening, and thinking – vital skills thatpromote self-actualization, enhance leadershippotential, foster human understanding, andcontribute to the betterment of mankind.

It is basic to this mission that ToastmastersInternational continually expand its worldwidenetwork of member clubs, thereby offering ever-greater numbers of people the opportunity tobene*t from its program.

Toastmasters International empowerspeople to achieve their full potential andrealize their dreams. Through our memberclubs, people throughout the world canimprove their communication andleadership skills, and find the courage tochange.

Toastmasters International’s core valuesare integrity, dedication to excellence,service to the member, and respect forthe individual. These are values worthyof a great organization, and we believewe should incorporate them as anchorpoints in every decision we make. Ourcore values provide us with a means ofnot only guiding but also evaluating ouroperations, our planning, and our visionfor the future.

Vision

Values

As a member of Toastmasters International andmy club, I promise: To attend club meetingsregularly To prepare all of my speech andleadership projects to the best of my ability,basing them on projects in the

ormanuals

To prepare for and full meeting assignments

To provide fellow members with helpful,constructive evaluations

To help the club maintain the positive, friendlyenvironment necessary fo all members to learnand grow

To serve my club as an officer when calledupon to do so

To treat my fellow club members and ourguests with respect and courtesy

To bring guests to club meetings so they cansee the benefits Toastmasters membershipoffers

To adhere to the guidelines and rules for allToastmasters educational and recognitionprograms

To maintain honest and highly ethicalstandards during the conduct of al lToastmasters activities

CompetentCommunication, Advanced Communication,Competent Leadership

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

!

The Mission ofToastmastersInternational

A Toastmaster’s

Promise

-3

You, the Member

club

Area

area 35

Division

Division K

District

District 20

Region

Region 11

Toastmasters International World

Headquarters

supported and served by the

organization.

Your exists to support and develop its

members.

Your , served by an Area Governor, supports

your club. We are

Your , served by a Division Governor,

supports your area. We are .

Your , served by your District Governor

and executive team, supports your Division, its

areas, and the club members. We are .

Your is served by your elected

International Director and your appointed

regional advisor. District 20 is in

and

exist to help you become a better

speaker and leader.

TMIHierarchy

-4

WMC TMC has successfullymanaged to keep the flag flyinghigh among the Toastmasterclubs in Bahrain. This onlyhighlights the love and commit-ment of members towards theclub. To take the club to the muchhigher level we have TMVaidyanathan and his promisingteam of board members who areworking towards achieving theclub goals and to make eachmember's time at the clubworthwhile.

GOOD LUCK !!

From the Editor’s Desk

It is said Yesterday is a history,tomorrow is a mystery, today is thegift and that's why it's called thepresent'. It is quite obvious that theclub doesn't ponder over the past.But surely applies some of the bestpractices and ideas adopted in thepast. The club has always been inthe present, learning, partici-pating, celebrating and betteringitself in every way possible. Beingin the present the club has alwayshad an eye at the future to make ita better and a successful one. Andthis approach of the club makesevery moment of the present abeautiful one.

I wish TM Vaidyanathan and histeam a successful term ahead. Ispecailly wish TM Kiran, the VPPR in his efforts in bringing out theeloquence.At a wonderful club likeours I know the energy and theenthusiasm of the members will

never depreciate. It is nice to knowthat some of the charter membersof the club are still a part of the clubwhich shows their love andcommitement. The rest of themembers, for what ever short timewe stay, be it for few months or yearsshould keep the passion ofToastmasters burning within eachone of us like how it has all this whileand celebrate the joy of beingToastmasters. May the celebrationnever cease to end.

TM Roshni Pinto

Fresh year, higher hopes and with greaterenthusiasm did we start! Yes, we the Excomstarted our journey with a commitment to takeour club to the next higher level with evengreater zeal. Having learnt from our predeces-sors the nuances of toastmastering, we haveimmense faith that every moment at the clubwould be a rewarding experience for itsmembers. Ralph C smedley has rightly said thatwe learn best in the moments of enjoyment. Thecase is no different at our club, WMC. Theeuphoria of success they reap&the contentmentwill fuel the member's desire to achieve more &more in the days to come.

On this auspicious month, as TMI celebrates its90 anniversary, our WMCTMC stands tall &unique amongst the various other clubs in theisland. The passion & the incessant urge forexcellence amongst its members is what kept usin the limelight, unraveled! For sure the trend willcontinue.

As we have come to the end of the first quarter ofthis toastmastering year, it is time to hear fromthe members. This volume of eloquence is sanstheme, hence titled “Expressions”. In thefollowing pages you will witness the flow ofprovoking yet inspiring thoughts from the

th

members & their kins in the form of short write up's,poems, pictures, informative articles, etc. Theoverwhelming response for the creative works bythe members & their spouses & kids is what kept meagape!Thanks a lot for the same. As the VicePresident Public Relations for the year 2014-15, Iowe a lot to senior members & other fellow memberswho have conferred their confidence on me to takeup the challenge. Words fall short to express mygratitude for the support & encouragement I havereceived from you all.

The camaraderie, mutual respect& selfless serviceto its members is what makes our WMC much morethan a club…Yes we are a family! To all the fellowmembers, here's wishing a happy toastmasteringyear! Happy Learning!

“For men may come and men may go, WMC will goon forever…!! “

Kiran ChandranVP-Public Relations

2014-15

-5

Human mind is a complex system capable ofmuch more than what we can imagine. Even

though we use a small percentage of its capacity itstill makes us awesome people. What fascinatesme always is the way the mind designs defensemechanisms within all of us. I doubt if any fort hasbeen built with such fortifications as what the mindhas. What does it protect? Our fragile egos andsense of being.

If we experience something that makes us feeluncomfortable or ashamed because it is far awayfrom the moral compass that we grew up in itcauses stress and anxiety within us. In order tocover up this anxiety we use defensive mecha-nisms. When stress or anxiety occurs the firstresponse of our mind is to think up a way torationally escape the situation. Most people facedwith a situation they perceive as dangerous chooseto lie about it. I have realized over a period of timethat my mind pretends as if nothing has happenedin a kind of wishful way of thinking that it will goaway on its own. In reality what happens is that theproblem only gets worse and then I sit and wishhow easy it would have been if only I had tackled itthen and there. These are really the tactic of themind to keep us at ease and nurse our egos.

These kinds of defense mechanisms appearunconsciously and they tend to distort reality eitherby diminishing the reality or by exaggerating it. Bothways it gives us a reduction in our anxiety andtension. It is interesting to note that our obsessivecompulsive behaviours, some mannerisms,behaviors are all some kind of coping mechanisms.Not all of these mechanisms need professionalhelp. If we put our mind to it we can watch thesemechanisms in ourselves and try and go to the rootof it.

So my point here is that unless we turn to ourselvesand figure out what really causes stress and

anxiety all the new age trends ofyoga,meditation, exercise etc. will notwork long term. I think this is the reasondifferent fads keep coming and going.

We can start by focusing on our habits and see ifany of those fall into the category of copingmechanisms. I was amazed to see that my refusalto acknowledge a problem, once I became aware ofit and searched within for answers, reducedconsiderably. We develop certain habits as acoping mechanism because we do not want to dealwith the actual problem that is causing stress. But ifwe want this stress to go away permanently thenwe do not have any other choice to face this stressand its causes. The peace that brings cannot matchthe temporary peace that we get from our copingtactics.

We form a coping tactic or habit when we refuse toface a difficulty in its reality and truthfulness. Weneed to meet stress directly and in order to do thatwe need to overcome our coping mechanisms.

A coping mechanism could accurately be lookedupon as a type of addiction. Like most habits,coping mechanisms have an addictive quality tothem; we feel some degree of compulsion towardthem, and we experience some level of difficulty inresisting them. We tend to use a coping mecha-nism as a distraction, a crutch that we lean on as away of avoiding stress. These activities, then, areno longer true choices that we make but, rather,unconscious habits that often prevent us fromdealing directly with stress and are thereforeharmful to our well-being.

Addictions can take many forms, both obvious andsubtle. Some are clearly harmful, such as relianceon alcohol, prescription or recreational drugs,gambling, or dysfunctional eating. Almost anythingcan become an addition, though, from watching TV

Addictions

- 6

to exercise, computer use, work, or even socializ-ing. While these may not immediately appear to bedestructive, on a very real level they encroach onyour time, sap your attention, and prevent you fromliving fully. Even something as natural andenjoyable as sex can become an addiction andexhibit these characteristics. These habits do notgenerate any true joy but instead are a source ofobsession that constantly needs to be satisfied.

Generally addictions form gradually over time.Some behaviors may seem innocent, but still, theywere a reaction to our stress levels. For exampleour cravings for large bowls of popcorn, or multiplepackets of cookies at night while watching moviesin bed, are not conscious choices for normalportions but rather mindless, compulsive eatingwhere we could consume the snack of the moment,pursuing temporary escape from the challenges ofour life. This simply is an addiction to the“dopamine high” of junk food.

Look at yourself and watch the way you work, theunhealthy trends that govern your life and thecoping mechanisms that you use such as blamingthe boss or the company. We all are comfortablebeing victims or martyrs because then theresponsibility lies with others.

Start by observing where and how you spend yourtime. Consider the activities you turn to when youare stressed or uncomfortable. Ask yourself if theway you engage in these activities has an addictiveor habitual pattern to it and if you are letting

destructive behaviorcontrol your life. If youdiscover certain activities orpsychological patterns that aredestructive or feel more “addictive” or like a“release” than they do joyful, then make it yourgoal to gradually free yourself from these addic-tions.

In effect this is where psychology gives way tospirituality. Your inner awareness has to be awitness watching yourself as you indulge in thisgame called life. You have to turn into yourself todiscover the self and the truth within. When welearn to still our mind and face reality and truth wefind peace. The first step towards that is to beaware of our addictions and shed them. Strangethat after quantum physics started talking thelanguage of spirituality now it is psychology thatspeaks the same tongue. It brings back forcefullythat after what our entire mind can imagine islimited only to the supreme power of the universe.

It was a memorable experience for us towitness the ACC Premier Cup 2014 which washeld in Malaysia, in which our son Karhik hasplayed for Bahrain under-16 team. My elderbrother and wife had also come all the wayfrom Singapore to witness the match. Bahrainboys have done extremely well. There was atotal of six teams (Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore,Bahrain, Oman and Thailand). Nepal hadsecured the first place, Malaysia second,Singapore third and Bahrain fourth. Thearrangements were done so professionally bythe Malaysian Cricket Council and the Bahrainboys could play in the turf ground, which was anew experience.

During this visit we could see some places ofMalaysia which is so beautiful with full ofgreenery. All in all this trip was an indelibleexperience to all of us.

Malaysian

Trip

TM Ganapathy Narayanan

DTM Rekha Utham

- 7

Ever since my childhood, I was very muchconnected to the nature. I had a small

binocular, every day before going to school andafter coming from school, I used to indulge in birdwatching. I used to feel proud to identify the birdspecies. Our locality - Padma Rao Nagar about6kms from Secunderabad railway station wasperhaps one of the lush green localities in the twincities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Therewere many parks as well as many fruit bearingtrees in our area. So it was an ideal habitat for thecommon rhesus monkeys or rhesus macaques (asthey are called) to thrive. People in our locality weso accustomed to the encounters with thesemonkeys on a daily basis. Even though thesemonkeys had plenty of fruits to eat, they were veryopportunistic. They used to raid unguarded homesand take away whatever eatables were there withintheir reach. One could hear the cries and shoutsfrom the victim's house almost every day. I lived onthe first floor. Once it happened that I was standingoutside the house that a battalion of monkeysappeared all of a sudden. I looked here and therefor an escape route, but there was no escape. I hadno place to hide and felt that I was a goner that day.Suddenly I noticed that my neighbours had driedtheir bed sheets and other clothes on the wall. I rantowards the wall and pulled the bed sheet and other

A Tryst with Nature(Episode 1: Monkey menace)

clothes and covered myself with that, lay down onthe steps there and played dead. The monkeysjumped on top of me and ran over me, but I didn'tmove a muscle. It was only after I heard myneighbour shout and scream at the monkeys that Istood up with a sigh of relief. One day my friendsand I were playing cricket. All of a sudden we weresurrounded by an army of monkeys. They invadedour pitch and that made us furious. We took sticks,bat and stumps and started chasing thosemonkeys. Monkeys ran for their lives thinking thatthe roles have reversed. Since that day, we had oneperson in each corner to watch out for the monkeys.They would raise an alarm whenever they sight amonkey in the vicinity and we would be armedimmediately for an animal face off.

TM. Shankar Prasad

- 8

To be a teacher is to touch a life forever. Those whopursue this noble profession nurture the futuregeneration, generation after generation. What welearn from them becomes a part of us. Now as weall have celebrated the Teachers Day on the 5th ofSeptember, I would like to offer a tribute to all theteachers out there.

Teachers play a very important and essential role, not only during school days, but all through ourlives. Let us therefore dedicate these days to them.A noted American author William Arthur Ward oncequoted '' The mediocre teacher tells...the goodteacher explains..the superior teacher demon-strates but the great teacher inspires! These wordsbeautifully describe the pedestal held by a teacherin society. The importance of a teacher is well-underlined by the fact that in many cultures acrossthe world , teachers are placed on a step higher toparents and it's rightly apt. During our life as astudent , teachers are by far the most importantpeople in our lives.

From alphabets we learn in our first classrooms tothe most complex concepts we grasp about athigher levels of learning is owed to teachers. Welearn valuable lessons in life from them. They arethe beacons of light guiding us in the formativeyears of our life. They mold our minds, cultivate ourcharacter and shape our future, yet a teachers'work is often ignored. Teachers are the unsung andunheralded heroes of a country, so today let usmake a commitment to express our gratitude to ourteachers. Remember if you can read this thankyour teacher.

September 5 is celebrated as Teachers Day in Indiaand by Indians the world over. It is not only to thankour teachers but also to remember the man whostarted it all - the 2nd president of IndiaDr.Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan who was born onSeptember 5 (1888-1975). He was not only astatesman but an eminent thinker, scholar andphilosopher. He is best known as the man whointroduced the thinking and putting Indian philoso-phy on the world map.

Teachers should be the best brains in the country.We should aim towards the commitment toknowledge, advancement of learning, improvingthe quality of education and fostering a strongrelationship between teachers and students.Mother Teresa was a teacher too. It was during theperiod 1931-1948 that she taught at St.Mary's Highschool in Kolkata. But the sufferings and povertyshe witnessed outside the convent walls madesuch a deep impression on her that she wanted toactively involve herself in the service of the poor.

Rabindranath Tagore, one of the greatest figures

To touch a

life Forever..

TM Kalpana Patil

of modern Indian literature was a great educator,that was why Gandhiji conferred upon him thesobriquet- Gurudev- the supreme teacher.

''Learning without thought is labor lost andthought without learning is perilous'' said Confuciusone of the greatest teachers of all time. His wisdomwas great but his message was simple. He oncesaid ''by 3 methods we may learn wisdom , first byreflection ,which is the noblest, second by imitation,which is the easiest and third by experience whichis the bitterest. Confucius was a very famousChinese thinker and philosopher whose teachingsand philosophy have deeply influenced East Asianlife and thought, though being so famous Confuciuswas very humble, this tells us that not only was he abrilliant mastermind but also very superior bycharacter.

Learning is a thousand mile journey which beginswith just one step and the only one who can helpyou complete this journey is your teacher, we musttruly honor and appreciate their remarkable effortand such selfless actions. Most of us are able toread this only because of the tireless efforts put inby teachers to try to educate you. Teachers maycome and go but their musings and impressionsshall always remain with you.

- 9

“I was anxiously waiting for my class XII results. Thenervousness caused a cold sweat to break acrossmy forehead. My parents were eagerly lookingforward for the results as well.

I was praying that all goes well and somehow, Iwould pass.

The results came through and I… FAILED!”

That is how Neethu told me about her experiencesof school.

Whether at work or academics or sports, we all facefailures. We try and we stumble. But when westumble we are still moving forward. As long as we

pick ourselves up and move on, we are all successstories!

We need to tell ourselves that nothing is lost and tellour mind to accept the situation and move on.

I was on a short vacation in The Beautiful Coorg!One day we decided to go to the nearby elephantcamp where these magnificent animals are trained.

As I was passing by, I suddenly stopped, confusedby the fact that these huge creatures were beingheld by only a small rope tied to their front leg. Nochains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephantscould, at any time, break away from the ropes theywere tied to but for some reason, they did not.

I saw a trainer nearby and asked why these majesticanimals just stood there and made no attempt to getaway.

“Well,” he said, “when they are very young and muchsmaller we use the same rope to tie them and, at thatage, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they areconditioned to believe they cannot break away. Theybelieve the rope can still hold them, so they never try tobreak free.”

I was amazed. These animals could at any time breakfree from their bonds but because they believed theycouldn't, they were stuck right where they were.

Like these elephants, how many of us go through lifehanging onto a belief that we cannot do something,simply because we failed at it once before?

It's true indeed, many of us are conditioned in such away, that we hold onto our conventional beliefs,assuming them to be true for our entire life. But when weget the courage to break free from those beliefs, onlythen can we move ahead in life.

After Neethu failed in school, her parents urged her totake up courses that she was interested in. Her nextattempt at the exam was 6 months later. By that time,Neethu learnt swimming, went for a course in fashiondesigning and dance classes.

How many times have we failed and not tried again?How many times have we decided that things areimpossible?

Your thoughts become your beliefs which, in turn,become your mindset. Your mindset influences youractions, which lead to your results. In short, if you have amindset that holds you back then you are more likely toaccept limited results in your life.

Be honest, do you have a mindset that limits what'spossible in your life or one that encourages you to seepotential and possibility and move past obstacles?

Are you more familiar with the words can't, unattainable,and impossible or do you naturally see solutions andchallenge the status quo?

MIND (AS)SET

Your thoughts become your beliefs

which, in turn, become your

mindset. Your mindset influences

your actions, which lead to your

results.

-10

Sometimes it's hard to quantify the damage alimited mindset can cause. But they are for realand show up in every facet of your life on aphysical, emotional, mental, financial, andspiritual level.

Is your mindset costing you happiness, goodhealth, love, money, opportunities, or peace ofmind?

Take a moment and move through the keyaspects of your life Career, Relationships,Finances, Fun & Creativity, and Healthy Living

Now think about the ways your mindset isholding you back from reaching your greatestpotential.

Our thoughts are powerful because they createthe mindset that we live by. It's time to be aware

Divorce after 15 years of marriage… It soundedweird to me.

I happened to listen to an interview with the actorPrakash Raj about the women in his life. In theinterview he was sharing that he divorced his firstwife after 15 years of marriage. But she stillremains his friend; still a daughter in-law to hismother, a good mother to their children and mostimportantly a good friend to his present wife.

This is when I felt wow!!! They are able to enjoytheir relationship even after divorce.

Have you seen these Hindi serials in which thehero? When he has confusion, he splits into two.They both will argue and finally the hero choosesthe bad option. I thought this happens only inserials and in a director's imagination. But now Isaw it happening to me. I split in to two.

The bad one said wow …. You are divorced. Inspite of it you enjoy the friendship with yourhusband. But don't have to cater to his irritatingneeds. You have a mother in-law to rely upon. Butyou don't have to stand the whims and fancies ofthe old lady. You have access to your children butnot their responsibility.

The good one asked how can you think of leavinga husband who is so loving, a daughter who is veryaccommodative and the in-laws who treats youlike a daughter. How can you shrug of yourresponsibilities just like that? It went on for sometime.

Unlike in serials the good one wins the argumentand my conscience pricked me the whole day.

Next day my husband was shouting at me forsomething ……obviously for which I wasn'tresponsible. I wanted to shout back. Although thesurroundings ensured my sanity, the helpless in

me cried. Not for being scolded but for being unable tobark back.

Suddenly I felt the warmth of his arms around me. Ipushed his hands away and asked “why are youshouting unnecessarily?” He asked me very politely“Have you done any mistake?” Now days he is verypolite with me. I am in doubt whether it is because ofthe teaching job which he is in or because of the factthat I look more and more beautiful to him each day.Either way his question woke me up from my dream, adream which I think was because of the consciencethat was pricking me. I told him that I hadn't done anymistake and then I narrated the whole story of Prakash

Raj's divorce andits positives. Also that I thought

we too stood a chance.

Suddenly the polite teacher disappeared, and said“have you got nothing good to tell me early in themorning?” The real husband was in full swing. Then Ileft the bed irritated.

I am a person who doesn't have even a remote idea ofdivorce in my mind. Still such an interview stirs up adisturbing argument in me. I thought about thereasons. I think that living with the same person canover time become very boring. A relation ship has toallow us to grow mentally, emotionally and spiritually.Otherwise the passion between two people begins tofade. So staying fresh is crucial for both. I think that is

Work in

Progress

Neethu Abhimanyu &TM Abhimanyu Gopinath

what your current mindset is costing you.

Like how the great Philosopher Confucius says, “RealKnowledge is knowing the extent of one's ignorance!”

And before I end this, Neethu went onto graduate as arank holder and finished her post-graduation with GoldMedal!

But getting married to me was the real achievement…For me, of course!

- 11

why now a days lot of couples are joining Toastmasters,to allow each other to grow and to stay fresh.

In order to thrive in a relationship woman needs to feelsafe talking her feelings without the fear of beingrejected or ridiculed. On the other hand man needs to beappreciated for his efforts. As he is appreciated more helearns how to listen actively so that his partner canappreciate him even more. Slowly by continuing tocommunicate and appreciate each other the walls ofboredom comes down and feelings towards each othercan be experienced again. I hope as I express myfeelings; my husband won't ridicule and reject me later,so that I can appreciate him for listening.

We see many of our fellow Toastmasters even afterbecoming DTMs continues to work towards theirprogress. Like that our Marriage is a work in progress. Inspite of being together for years we have to work to keepthe passion alive. Otherwise it will become a

monotonous space where even if you do not wantto, you have to hang in, like in our Table Topicssessions. But here without the consolation of thetime limit.

And with one weird idea like mine from an interviewyou might also stand a chance.

TM Leena Ponnambalam

It's been

90 years since the

first meeting and

Toastmasters International is

still going strong.

Headquartered in Rancho Santa

Margarita, the nonprofit group that

teaches people to

improve skills in communication, public

speaking and leadership celebrates its 90

Anniversary in the month of October 2014.

Illinois born Dr. Ralph C. Smedley held the

first official Toastmasters meeting in the

basement of a YMCA in Santa Ana Oct.

22, 1924. Since then Toastmasters' has

grown to more than 3,00,000 plus

active members, 14650 clubs

in 126 countries.

th

-12

Better listening ,Better thinking, Better speaking ... Itis to perfect these skills that we are in Toastmasters .I wish to add one more “ Better” to the above and thatis “Better Living” .I can visualize the puzzled look onyour faces and the unarticulated question - 'Are wenot living right?' of course, Toastmasters always 'liveright'. However along with improving communi-cation skills we can improve our health too. Wealways feel that disease/illness is some thing whichhappens to the other person . Here in the Gulf as weenjoy the comforts of life in an air conditionedenvironment eating rich food ,we tend to neglect ourhealth. Healthy living does not mean giving up thethings you enjoy. It also does not mean eatingtasteless food or spending hours at the health club.Don't become “health freaks “but the age old proverb'Prevention is better than cure' is indeed true .Outlined below are a few health tips .

Toastmasters clubs make us younger mentally butwith each passing day, We get older chronologically.If you have a family history of High Blood sugar ,HighBlood Pressure or Heart Disease , get the followinginvestigations done ( Family history means parentsor siblings suffering from the disease .)

People with a family history of Diabetes should get ablood sugar estimation done at the age of thirty . Incase you have symptoms of increased thirst,increased frequency of urination or increased hunger,don't wait till the age of thirty . Get the blood sugartested now . If high blood pressure or heart diseaseruns in the family, monitor your blood pressure andhave your EKG ( Electrocardiogram ) taken.

“Men are naughty at Four Zero Forty “sounds poeticbut the age from forty to fifty is said to be the periodwhen diseases like Diabetes High Blood pressureetc set in . So on reaching the magic or not so magicage of forty ,it is advisable to get your cholesterollevel, blood sugar level and EKG checkedirrespective of a positive or negative family history ofthese diseases. Women on the other hand have afair amount of protection against these diseases onaccount of the hormones they have . And we callthem ' the weaker sex ' - how ironical ?

If investigations reveal no abnormality ,lower your

THE FORTH

BETTER

guard but don't let it down completely. Follow up,once every year or as your doctor advises. Theprostate gland in men tends to undergo changes inthe fifties. At the age of fifty it is advisable toundergo an examination of the prostate. Womenabove forty years should undertake a 'cervicalsmear examination' and a gynecological consult-ation . Self breast examination is a must and anylumps noted should be investigated . Females witha family history of breast cancer must have amammography done in consultation with the familydoctor.

Obesity is a common, at times avoidable problem ,we see around. To a certain extent it can becontrolled by dietary regulation and exercise. Dietscan vary and you can get hundreds of opinions fromhundreds of people on what can be taken and whatcannot. However don't heed all the advice given atparties and gatherings you will end up eatingnothing and die of starvation. A balanced diet esse-ntially consists of a combination of carbohydrates,proteins, fats, vitamins, mineral slts and water.Watch that waist (waste ) line. It is very easy to gainweight and difficult to lose it. A few simpleguidelines suggested by experts for healthy eatingare :

Enjoy your food

- 13

· Eat a variety of foods· Take more of foods rich in starch and fibre· Avoid eating too much of fatty food· Don't eat sugary foods too often· Avoid smoking

Dr. Babu Ramachandran

If you are inclined to be “ spiritual “ restrict your “spirit “ intaketo moderation . What moderation stands for is something Idon't want to reveal openly...Get in touch with me personally.

Last but not least, exercise should form a part of your routine.Athirty to forty five minute brisk walk daily or at least five daysa week is helpful in burning away unwanted calories.

I hope I have not scared the wits out of you dear reader toundergo blood draining tests and sleepless nights .I believe itis better to be safe than sorry . Always bear in mind that inorder to perfect the art of Better Listening, Better Thinkingand Better Speaking ,you need to attend toastmastersmeetings regularly . I order to ensure this and to improve theattendance level of our meetings, practice the art of BetterLiving .

Ahealthy mind in a healthy body will make the journey easierto become CC s,AC s ,DTM s.

MEM

OIR

I Crave for a drop from thy,whose heart brims with love & solace,

for in life did I never feel.Debarred from life's charm,

wept for those days of bliss that weren't mine!!Child of street was I, though not by choice I remain.

Desolated since birth, cared by none - a jinx in disguise!Omen and doomed-they labelled;unknown did remain the reason.

Days were too scary though night remained like a bliss- counted the unending miseries forged since birth.

Sat by the shades of a dark nook,could see the innocent chap

Whose face so pale and bleak ;yearning for a pinch of love, a soothing touch...

to subdue the pain deep in the heart.Lost in the mishap of bygone era, he soliloquy

“Y me, lord?!!"Tears so intense & red flow down..Seemed like an erupted volcano,with lava, so powerfully flowing,

of despair and solitude.An ordeal, wild n wicked, my life was!

TM Kiran Chandran

-14

Technology never letsyou rest. Just when youthought you have maste-red it by getting acquaintedwith likes of Facebook,Twitter and WhatsApp, there isa new kid of the block that isbeginning to find its way into ourlives. Yes literally into our lives, ourbedrooms, kitchen. Everywhere.

I am talking about what is now being popularlycalled the Internet of Things or IoT. Braceyourselves to hear about it more often in comingyears. It's a term coined by the Cisco founder todenote an area that Industry experts believe isabout to explode in coming years. Let's try tounderstand what the term means.

Handheld mobile device had just one primaryfunction of making telephone calls before iPhoneburst into the scene. The good old phone just gotsmarter. Now we have phones that are just mobilephones and then we have smart phones. Phonesgot a lot smarter by being able to run applicationsthat allowed us to do a plethora of things including,taking photos, chat, Skype calls, browsing internet,GPS navigation system, gaming etc. Now imagineall other equipment in our lives getting 'smart' likethis. The good old refrigerator, the washingmachine, the air conditioner, the toilet bowl (yes!)

Let's assume your refrigerator got a bit smart likeyour phone. It now has Internet connectivity. Itknows your family consumption pattern and isaware of the food stocks. When the milk or egg orany other items reach a level that needsreplenishment it makes an order to the SuperMarket. Sounds too futuristic? Absolutely not.That's the kind of frenetic pace things are moving inthis space.

Imagine your Air Conditioner thermostat or yourlight systems got a lot smarter and is environmentaware. It can figure our how many people are in theroom or what time of the day it is and can adapt andwork differently. Now imagine an entire communityhave such devices recording what equipment isbeing used during what time of the day. From thisdata, the electricity company can to the mostgranular level assess the power requirement for aspecific time of the day and calibrate production.Right now it is based on a ballpark figure. Thissolves the biggest problem what we face inelectricity wastage. Armed with this data think ifyour Electricity provider can possibly influence

usage patterns byincentivizing heavy

consumption activitieslike ironing during a non-

peak hour. This gives hugepower (pardon the pun) in

these companies' hands.

Imagine your car got smarter andrecords how you drive. It knows how you stay

within speed limits or how you were using breakscloser to the signal. Now equipped with this datathink if your car insurance company is in a positionto give you a discount rewarding your carefuldriving?Amazing, is it not?

Imagine a toilet bowl or a weighing machine or awearable device that collects your personal dataand sends out statistics to your doctor when setbenchmarks are breached.

This is not just a thing from a science fiction movie.A lot of this is already happening in different parts ofthe world. Companies are researching and imple-menting methods to make all machines in our livesinter connected and hence enabled to commu-nicate with each other. This is set to revolutionalizehow we live our daily lives. How banks conduct theirbusiness, how hospitals track medical records,how insurance companies offer solutions.

It's one of the fast expanding markets. The Internetof Things (IoT), which excludes PCs, tablets andsmart phones, will grow to 26 billion units installedin 2020 according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner says thatIoT product and service suppliers will generateincremental revenue exceeding $300 billion,mostly in services, in 2020. It will result in $1.9trillion in global economic value-add through salesinto diverse end markets.

So do not look surprised when during the coffeetable/pantry hall talk when someone brings up thetopic. Internet of Things is for real and here.

TM Saju Ramachandran

- 15

The youth leaders speaks...

YLP 2014 Attended by -Students of St. Pauls Marthoma Parish Sunday School

Kingdom of Bahrain

YLP exp was really good. When I

was asked to speak initially, I felt like

having butterflies in my stomach.

Later in the 6th session I became a

speaker. Meanwhile, on the days

when I'd practiced I was so scared. I

even had thoughts like whether will

this become successful or will the

speech title become so boring? I had

so many devilish thoughts like that in

me but at the day of session I had

really rocked. All that appreciations

goes for my teachers Livin sir, Kiran

sir and Shankar first they

appeared to me as strict teachers but

later I realized that they were our best

friends.After speaking on a topic I felt

confident and I volunteered to be the

speaker for the next 2 sessions. I

enjoyed it a lot. I even had a thought

that our boring schools & its lessons

should be replaced by such

toastmasters club.

sir. At

YL Anjana Anil Thomas

It was a wonderful experiencetogether as a part of toastmastersinternational. It helped me improvemy English skills. They taught usmany things in just 2 months. We hadthis program only for 8 weeks butduring the 8 weeks we were able tolearn a lot of things. This helped me toovercome stage fear and we got greatopportunities to speak in front of lot ofpeople. Now I wish to join the gavel'sclub. The toastmasters helped us alot, they supported us in everythingwe do. They were not like ourteachers but our friends. I will neverforget this experience. It also kept mebusy during summer vacation. I lovethe YLP & Toastmasters internationala lot and I recommend it to others.

YL Nidhin Anoop Mathew

Joining to the YLP has made a start of a

journey in myself with a new

experience. Toastmasters was the

platform which exposed talent in me.

Toastmasters gave me confidence in

building up speaking quality in me. It

helped to improve my writ ing

capabilities, memorizing tricks and

drove away the fear of speaking to a

larger audience. It was a wonderful

experience in total and would like to

keep this rhythm throughout my life. I

thank toastmasters in person for

making this happen in my life.

YL 6WHOOD 0 DU\ %LMX

Youth Leadership Programhas helped me inbeating my shyness and rescued me from beingan introvert and helped me believe in myself. YLPhas made me looked deeply at myself and realizethat who I am and what I believed in, was not onlyok, but needed to be shared with others.

Through YLP, I learned how to overcome mynervousness while speaking before an audience.I learned to organize and present speeches,listen carefully to others ideas and was able tohelp others to improve their speaking andleadership skills. Today I can participate andeven lead group discussions or meetings.Through this YLP, I learned the different gesturesin speaking and learned how I can improve myvoice modulation and vocabulary.

I have also acquired the knowledge to apply theprinciples of speaking, learning and thinking. Ireceived individual attention and encouragementfrom all the Toastmasters and the coordinators.The Toastmasters, coordinators, people andfriends have supported, encouraged, guided meto become a better speaker, speech writer andspeak from the heart, so that others can hear,change and become a better person too. Thehardest part is taking the first step from the“burning platform” of fear, nevertheless, it's astep I will remember forever.

YL Ansu Elsa Regi

-16

YLP 2014

- 17

Grand finale5th September ‘14 @ St. Pauls Marthoma Parish

YLP 2014 Grand finale5th September ‘14 @ St. Pauls Marthoma Parish

-18

Hearty congrats to DTM Rekha Utham. We

are very proud of our Rekha Utham who

has been a pillar of strength for our WMC

TM Club. Rekha has been a great

inspiration for budding Toastmasters and

seniors alike and it is always a treat to

hear Rekhaspeak. Her active

participation be it an Advanced speech or

for encouraging the young kinds during

the YLP program is awesome. It is very

difficult for one to have a multi faceted

talent and Rekha is one amongst the few.

Best wishes from our EXCOM to Rekha

and wishing her many more laurels.

Congra

tulati

ons

DTM

Rekh

aUth

am

- 19

Proud achievers from WMC family

Achieved CGPA 10 with A+ in all subjects in theCBSE class 10th Examination

Gav. Mugdha Abhayankar Gav. Abhirami Ponnambalam

Gav. Karthik GanapathyRepresented Bahrain Team in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC)

under sixteen cricket tournament 2014 held in Kualalampur, Malaysia

Congratulations..!

-20

WMC in Media

- 21

Jayaditya Patel

Dev Anilkumar

Reya Joseph Pinto

Ryan Joseph Pinto

-22

I am the sun,you are my rays.You help me shine and give me strength,to shine over all lands and seas.I am the bee,and you are the flowerYou give me nectar and make me healthy.You are the friend who has supported mein all the difficulties I've ever faced.You are the friend who has given meyour shoulder to lean on,you are the person I want to treasure.You are the one who gives me pleasureYou are the ICE to my CREAM,you are the AWE to my SOME.You are my greatest strengthand my greatest weakness.No one can ever replace you,you are as perfect as one can be.I honestly loved to say all thisbecause you got a friend in me

- Nachiket PatilA FRIEND

Painting using coffee powderby Gincy Livinkumar

- 23

AGM & EXCOM INSTALLATION 2014-15

-24

- 25

ASSIDUOUS

BUOYANT

AGILESERENE

ELATEZEALCAPITALIZE

Hardworking& thorough

Take the chance to gain advantage from

Special thanks to all the members for your contributions, support and guidance.

-26

This newsletter became possible with the support of contributions, in the form of articles and pictures, from members and the e�orts of the Executive CommitteeEloquence is the o�cial publication of WMC Toastmasters Club Bahrain. It includes o�cial notices and details of activities of the club. However, no responsibility is assumed for the opinions of members who have contributed other articles.