Creating this ‘Newsletter’ and presenting to

the Toastmasters Community, the movers and

shakers of ‘Bright Horizons’ has been an hon-

or and has brought me immense pleasure.

BHTM is special to me; it is the place which

has allowed me to grow, make mistakes and

learn – in the process. Having adorned various

hats in the ex-com in my three years of jour-

ney – VP-Public Relations was something I real-

ly wanted to take up. Well, let me confess –

being from media background, I thought this

would be a piece of cake; but it sure wasn’t.

While it has been a challenging role so far, it

certainly hasn’t been boring. Infact, it has

been a much exciting one.

In this issue, we present to the readers our highly pro-active Executive Committee;

each one brings in something new to the table. We also introduce the new members

who’ve joined us since the beginning of this term and it gives me another opportunity to

feel proud that we’ve had eight new members in the short four months.

Toastmasters International celebrated its 90th anniversary in October this year, so we

share some memorable photographs from the history of Toastmasters and how the

journey of TMI began. Infact, BHTM celebrated the TMI anniversary with élan by con-

ducting an outdoor beach meeting; another memorable milestone for Bright Hori-

zons .Then we have articles sharing innovative ideas – and that’s what is special about

each member of BHTM, they strive to be creative and add value to every member’s life.

And lastly, we share glimpses from our club meetings – the pictures say it all – but

you’ve got to attend our meetings to really feel the vibrancy.

I would like to thank each one of our members and particularly the ex-com for being so

supportive in my endeavor to bring out this issue.

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

SNEHAL SAWANT

EDITOR

I begin with a confession. I joined Toastmasters

to watch the fun that goes on at meetings, espe-

cially at the table topics session. You see, in my

opinion I was already: 1) A great communicator -

I could get through to 3 kids and one hubby just

by raising my voice! 2) A good leader-I always

envisioned myself in the place of Gandhi at the

Dandi march. A person who will stand in the

front and lead, and all the other people would

automatically follow suit.

Well….one summon from the table topics master,

shattered the illusion of my communication skills.

I realized that when I am onstage, my tongue

had multiple knots, my brain needed a high volt-

age jumpstart to even begin functioning, my

hands and legs would have been accepted without

inspection at the Saudia meat packaging factory.

I made excellent eye contact with the walls and

ceiling. My heart let out a drumroll that was eas-

ily heard by the person seated in the last row. I

couldn’t believe that one step on the dais, would iden-

tify so many aspects of me that could use major re-

vamps.

As for my leadership illusion, that too came crashing down, as I watched the dedication of

the excom members to their role and their service to the club.

Toastmasters turned me around to face reality and work to improve myself and serve the

club. As President of the most happening club in Kuwait – Bright Horizons, supported by an

enterprising & diligent Excom team, I must admit that Toastmasters epitomizes the saying

“Leadership through service”.

Two and a half years of being a TM- my tongue isn’t smooth and silky yet & my brain fre-

quently goes on vacation when I am onstage. But Toastmasters has helped me to consciously

try and overcome some of the difficulties, deal with others and camouflage the rest. I am

still on the initial rungs of the communication as well as the leadership ladder, but slowly and

steadily I ascend, one rung at a time.

My aim is to be a zealous leader through service. To encourage & help every member of

Bright Horizons to achieve a Communication and Leadership graph, that always shows an up-

ward trend.

President’s Message

BLOSSOM RASQUINHA

PRESIDENT—BHTM

Blossom Rasquinha (President):

I have been a Bright Horizons Toastmaster for the past 2 and a half years

and this much I have to say, BRIGHT HORIZONS is a club like no other in

Kuwait. The vivacity, enthusiasm & flow of innovative ideas caught me off-

guard. I realized I just can’t be sitting around & enjoying the show, but have

to join in and reap the benefits. All those who have attended a BH meeting,

will agree with me, that BHTM not only gives you the benefits of proactive

leadership and effective communication, but it also taps on your creative prowess, challenges you to

think out of the box and fosters an amiable camaraderie among the members. It is indeed, a great

privilege to serve as the President of Bright Horizons.

Gopalakrishnan (VP-Education):

Speaking in front of an audience was never my problem. It was theirs. It was

only when I attended a gavel club meeting in 2012, that I realized my oratori-

cal skills needed improvement. That prompted me to sign up for Toastmasters.

Thanks to TM Naren who introduced me to BHTM. During the course of 2

years since I have been with the club, I have gained good friends, learnt a lot

about constructive feedback and team building. Most importantly the audience

does not have to put up with my dull discourses anymore.

Elvis Noronha (VP-Membership):

I was introduced to BHTM by a dear friend and today BHTM has become a

dear part of me. Been with the club for little over three years now, and it

has helped me to grow immensely in confidence and self-development. There

is also the social side to BHTM where some of my close friends come from. I

love to travel to new places, meet new people, and look to new experiences.

Meet our Executive Committee

Snehal Sonawane Sawant (VP – PR)

Toastmasters has been a life-changing journey for me; it has helped

me explore those aspects of my personality which had been ridden by

self-doubt before. It has also given me a family away from home by

way of my club - BHTM. I am a journalist by profession, a writer at

heart, obsessed with fitness but the maximum amount of my time and

effort is spent on ensuring that I bring up my daughter with the

right morals and values.

Rajesh Bhardwaj (Secretary)

I hail from the beautiful place Himachal Pradesh (meaning snow covered hills) in

India and have been working in the Medical Technology (laboratory) field for the

last 18 years. I joined BHTM about a year and half ago to improve my communica-

tion and leadership skills. I feel this is the only organization in the world where peo-

ple are very friendly, helpful and provide positive and motivating feedback without

any personal benefit.

Narendra Nath (Treasurer)

I am a Chartered Accountant and a Banking professional. I am pas-

sionate about technology and want to travel to every continent in

the world. I have been with Bright Horizons for over 3 years and it

has provided me with a tremendous opportunity to improve my com-

munication and leadership skills.

Satish Kumar (Sergeant-At-Arms)

I joined Toastmasters during the year 2010. Last 4 years for me has been an

amazing journey. TM not only provided me a platform to improve my communi-

cation and leadership skills, it also helped me to network with friends global-

ly. I am proud to say that I belong to a bigger Toastmasters Family and I am

happy to serve forever.

What is an ideal home? Is an ideal home the one we see when we watch the TV, magazines or while

shopping at IKEA? In the search for the ideal home, we frame these ideologies that are so distant

from our culture and our lifestyle, that we remain dissatisfied. Hence I shall be providing a few tips on

how to prevent buyer’s remorse and how to promote a healthy, vibrant home.

BE REASONABLE.

Don’t let your future expectations hurt your present.

I have met friends who always complain about their purchase by

saying things like “Eventually I

will buy a bigger and/or better one”. Or things like “This is just

temporary”.

So first thing one must do is decide as to why this purchase is

important and to whom does it cater to. If you are a young couple

who plan to start a family, but do not have the finance to get the

dream house, then be reasonable and try lowering your expecta-

tions a bit by looking into existing homes rather than new con-

struction.

THERE IS A VERY COMMON PROVERB “DO NOT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER”.

This applies in inspecting existing homes. When looking at existing homes, check the proximity and

arrangement of the wet areas.

I always look for proximity of the kitchen from the living room and the placement of the bathrooms /

toilet in relation to these spaces. I avoid apartments if the bathroom location is open to the living

room. This tells me about the lack of concern from the builder.

“ALL THAT SHINES IS NOT GOLD”.

When inspecting a kitchen, do not be seduced by the floor tiles, wall tiles and the marble counter. But

look for the general arrangement of the fridge, kitchen sink, and oven and counter depth/height. As a

test, I always recommend to turn on the tap in the kitchen to full and see if the water splashes out

from the sink. Similarly, in the bathroom, I always suggest doing a dry run or in actuality it’s a wet

run. Take a glass of water and throw it on the floor and see that it goes to the central drain and not

towards the door.

LESS IS MORE.

The wise words of the modernist architects “Mies Vanderohe” - Don’t purchase things unless you ab-

solutely need them. People in small accommodations cramp the spaces by just filling it with stuff they

never use. For example, if you don’t read books, do not bring a bookshelf. If you rarely get guests,

don’t overload your space with a couch set.

Try making use of space saving furniture. A dining table that doubles up as a desk is a plus. A sofa

that doubles up as a bed is a plus.

I hope these tips have helped in understanding that a house is not just an investment; it is the place

your heart yearns for. Irrespective of the tips, there is no substitution for a happy house. So I wish

you a “HOME SWEET HOME”.

Guide to Find Your Ideal Abode By Rohan Almeida

We hear environmentalists exhorting the need to tackle global warming, reduce our consumption of

fossil fuels, setting targets for reducing carbon footprint, so on and so forth. But very few share

practical ideas and tips on how to improve our daily lives without harming the environment.

By following the mantra “Reduce Reuse Recycle”, let’s look at simple steps that individuals can take to

contribute less to the landfills. On that note, let’s consider one item that receives far less attention

than it actually deserves. The shoebox!

Have you ever paid attention to the shoebox after starting to use the footwear that came in it? Prob-

ably not! Most of us throw the box into the garbage and eventually it finds its way to the landfill.

What a waste of an useful item! Instead we should find ways to reuse them.

If you are wondering how the shoe box can be used for anything else, don’t despair. There are lots of

resources available on the internet, which share ideas on how to reuse the shoe box. Some of them

even have step by step instruction on how to do-it-yourself with images. So what exactly can the shoe

box be used for?

You can find these and more in the links provided below.

http://www.networx.com/article/15-fantastic-ways-to-repurpose-your-shoe

http://www.pinterest.com/staff2achieve/ways-to-use-shoe-boxes/

http://content.photojojo.com/diy/turn-your-phone-into-a-photo-projector-for-1/

So the next time you buy a pair of foot-wear; do not throw away the box without

trying any of the ideas. And should you doubt why this should be tried in Kuwait

where nobody cares, that’s the perfect place to start. Let’s teach the next generation how to live in a

more environmentally sustainable manner. To conclude with the words of EXNORANirmal

Think global to protect our environment,

Act local and make your street an environ paradise

Do domestic to convert your home to a model home

Shoebox Reinvented By Gopalakrishnan

ZEESHAN SABRI JOSEPH JOHN

MALIN WILLIAMS

FATEMA

AJAB PREMJI

SHAFEE SHEIKH

ANUP NAIR

SAHAR

New stars on our Horizon

90th ANNIVERSARY OF TMI

This October marks the 90th anniversary of Toastmasters Interna-

tional. Since 1924, Toastmasters has helped millions of members em-

power themselves by gaining communication and leadership skills, ena-

bling them to lead richer lives, Over nine decades, Toastmasters has

evolved from a small network of clubs in Southern California to more

than 14,650 clubs in 126 countries , with membership exceeding

313,000. Members of the first group of clubs pioneered the same

basic principles, we still recognize today: Practise how to speak, keep

meetings well-organized and on time, welcome new members enthusias-

tically and provide constructive feedback.

BHTM CELEBERATES

90TH ANNIVERSARY OF TMI

GLIMPSES OF OUR MEETINGS

Meeting # 130 - GOAL

Meeting # 131 - FRIENDSHIP

Meeting # 132 - MAGICAL MOMENTS

GLIMPSES OF OUR MEETINGS

Meeting # 133 - THE MUSICAL

Meeting # 134 - TECHNOLOGY THE SAVIOR - Live telecast of meeting

Meeting # 135 - LET’S DEBATE

TOASTMSATERS MEMBERSHIP

BENEFITS OF TOASTMSATERS MEMBERSHIP

JOIN BRIGHT HORIZONS

Participation in a proven and unique program for developing your communication

and leadership skills

A positive and supportive atmosphere in a community of learners

The opportunity to find your voice while learning to tell your story with confi-

dence

Regular and constructive feedback from other learners as you practice organizing

your thoughts and presenting them clearly

Experience in leadership development through training and club involvement

Unlimited opportunities for personal and professional growth

Access to wealth of educational materials and resources on public speaking, lis-

tening skills, meeting protocol, the use of technology in presentations, and ef-

fective communications in conferences and meetings.

A free subscription to the Toastmasters, a monthly magazine that provides in-

sights on communication, leadership, club activities and other relevant topics.

When: 2nd and 4th Friday of every month

Where: SPCL HD Center,

Block # 2, Bldg # 34,

Taher Ahmed Al Bagli Street,

Rumaithiya, Kuwait.

Time: 09:15 to 11.15 am

Contact: Elvis (66452759), Gopal (97223659) for more details