Even though the meeting on 3rd February 2015 was held in a different location, the Faculty of Engineering, all the members still came out in full force.

In room 6, the SAA Jun Han gathered the room to order. Following that, Andy give an opening address. He inspired us to turn strangers into new friends as a Toastmaster by sharing his one on one Starbucks experience by making a friend with a stranger. Moving on, TME of the evening, Yong Kee introduced the Table topic master, Jun Han.

The first contender in the table topics segment is Azmall. His question was “if you will be dead in a year time, will you change your lifestyle?”. Azmalm answered that he  would like to spend more time making friends. The next challenger is Raymond. His question was “who would you invite for a dinner?” He chose his mother because it is his little way of expressing his love for his mother. Next we have Jun Xin. His question was “which value you see in a friendship.” He told us the ability to make friends with strangers is more important instead of pinpointing a particular defining value when in it comes to making friends. Next we have Gisela. Her topic,”For what in life do you feel most grateful for?” She is grateful for her family and the values she had imparted from her grandfather. Next we have Shi Jia. Her question was “If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?” It is the ability to do what you want. Lastly, we have the infamous Tse Wei. His question was “would you want to be famous?”. He shared that even though triads may be notorious for their actions, they are actively involved in charitable activities. It was certainly a thought-provoking table-topics segment!

Moving on to the prepared speeches, Azmall shared his noble dream with us. He believe that there is definitely a way for us as human beings to live longer and stay healthy. He has a vision of entering politics in an attempt to implement health campaigns and propagate his idea. Next we have Jiaxu who came with a title, “Are you hacked today?”. Ge made us deliberate on whether we are so comfortable with the convenience that technology has delivered and neglect the existence of potential threat of hackers. Next we have Hariom who asked us “What do you see?”. He showed us how “I” as an individual is already a part of “we” a group of individuals or organisms. Next we have Yu Juan. Her title, “is life bullying you?”. Sometimes, something negative happens to you, it may actually be a blessing in disguise. She shared her experience where her option to go to her desired university for an exchange was revoked 5 months after their initial acceptance. She was devastated. However, the next option she chose offered her the best experience of her lifetime. Lastly, Jackie ended the prepared speech segment with his emotional speech titled “homecoming”. He shared how he experienced the comfort and warmth of his home after a painful experience. Indeed, we should always be grateful for the home we have, knowing that in moments of anguish, all we have is all we need.

Moving on we have a general evaluation by Mi Joo. The best table topics speaker is Tse Wei, best specker of the everning is Jackie and the best evaluator is Daryl.

In Room 5, the SAA Wen Xin started meeting enthusiastically with great passion. She encouraged us not dwell on the past, not to dream about the future but to focus on the present.  Following, Acting President Bally shared with a personal experience and  why he felt that Toastmasters members are windows in a building.

The Table Topics master, Jia Zheng gave us a round of impromptu speeches which he felt was essential for everyday conversation topics. Abishek was given the challenge of analysing whether the economy now more volatile than ever before while Kevin deliberated on why even though extensive periods of time and resources have to be spend on campaigning, students are still willing to participate due to the rewards. Wayne was questioned on whether he felt that a bachelor’s degree is sufficient for us to survive today. He reflected that a degree is not the most important thing in our lives and that we need many other elements to make our lives a fulfilling one. Following, Lavanya explained why the gift of the gab is only a gift if well-used.  After all, with great power comes with great responsibility. Wen Xin then ended off the segment with her examination of the current state of oil prices and how it depends on the different countries and currencies we are using.

For the prepared segment, Najeeb reflected on his time holding a leadership position in the Universities and its hardships. Through his experience, he learnt to appreciate the small things in life and to always have some humility. Next, Minh shared with us how his SMS method helped him to overcome his fear of riding motorbikes. Keerthana then shared that even though financial constraints have impeded most from travelling, we should always try to overcome these constraints because travelling is important. Indeed, life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Following, Andrew persuaded us not to be an impulsive buyer by divulging on  the techniques businesses used to encourage the irrational behaviour of impulsive shopping. Lastly, Menglu shared her personal experience with a teacher and why the only thing that matter is what you have done to impact someone’s life. Menglu has certainly motivated the audience to live a life to impact someone else.

It was indeed a night where the spectrum of speeches have inspired and encouraged the members!

Written by Ho Fuk Kin and Lim Nian Deng, Edited by Koh Shi Ting and Photos by Cool Clickers