INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Office of the President

2

Discover the 90/10 Principle

4

The Spotlight who's on?

5

SHE & HE Interview

9

Recipe Corner 7

Licence to Thrill 14

Valentine’s Meeting

15

Inspiring you to be your best

N E W S L E T T E R D A T E

OF INTEREST

Thrilling days of yes-teryear.

Choose your DTM Path

Discover the 90/10 Principle

Silence your mind

FEBRUARY 2013

District 20

P A G E 2

Bharat Patil President

Manama Toastmasters (Jan-Jun 2013)

The Horizon Team

From The President’s Desk It gives me immense pleas-ure to write my Presidential note. To achieve success, learn to operate with commitment and not from complaint. Wil-liam A Ward said, “The four steps to achievement are to plan purposefully, prepare prayerfully, proceed posi-tively, and pursue persis-tently”. You need to learn the joy of going beyond your limits so that you are not limited by your limitation. To make this happen, you have to understand that the mind should come from can and not from cannot, for when you think you “can” you create success and when you say you “cannot” you create failure. History is filled with stories of experts who were convinced that the ideas, ambitions, and projects of “others” could never be achieved. But achievers proved them wrong, for achievers came from a mind-set that says, “I can make this happen”. There is a significant distinc-tion between aspiration and expectation. You should have aspiration in life but not expectation. Aspiration seeks to be fulfilled in a creative

mode, whereas expectation is part of a begging mode. Aspiration is the basic ele-ment for experiencing growth. Expectation is the basic element for embracing sorrow. When you expect, you depend on the other and hence, you are bound by the other. This may sound confusing for those of you who don’t think deeply on the distinction between aspi-ration and expectation. Achievement comes when you seize the moment with zeal and clarity. Clarity will help you to study the right things and to learn the right lessons. Carefully assess your present strengths, suc-cess achieved so far and then aspire to reach the peak. Don’t whip yourself with negative things of the past that you allow them to haunt you. Ralph W Emer-son said, “A man is a hero not because he is braver than anyone else; he is a hero because he is brave for ten minutes longer”. People don’t become great because of their knowledge, their good intention or the things they desire. They become achievers when they get things done, and as Emerson said, “they stick with it for ten minutes longer”.

However, usually, what happens is that you don’t stick with it for those extra ten minutes, for you are so impatient and wish to taste success instantly. How does one get to know if you are patient or impatient? The tell-tale sign of impatience is that you don’t enjoy what you are doing. However, each moment is unique and hence it is beautiful in it its own way. If you learn to see the beauty in “what is”, then you are in para-dise and you will discover joy in what you are doing. From that space, you will aspire to create and you will be patient to reach the peak. When we join Toastmasters we should have aspiration with pa-tience. If we have patience with extra ten minutes then we will reach new heights in our life. In Toastmasters patience and con-sistency are very important. Sometimes we think we are stuck but we have to fight and move ahead only will we can grow. When we then look back , the height we have reached will give us immense pleasure and confi-dence.

Inspiring you to be your best !

TM Bharat Patil President Manama Toastmasters Club

Editor In Chief TM Edmore Mleya

Proof Reader TM Guraz Wankadia

Proof Reader TM Claire Cosgrove

Managing Editor TM Hannah Karanja

Design & Layout by TM Edmore Mleya

EDITORIAL P A G E 3

DTM Rosaline Roy addressing Manama Toastmasters on 9th February

“You should always know

when you’re shifting gears in

life. You should leave your

era; it should never leave

you”

Leontyne Price

Dear Colleagues, Resolutions are hard work! By February, most of them have been put on the back burner and completely for-gotten. It is therefore more important than ever to shift gears and bring back those resolutions as we move into a new era. Maybe there is a smoking habit that we were determined to kick this year. Or maybe we wanted to lose those extra pounds that we piled on during the holidays. Or maybe we had the intention of completing12 toastmaster’s projects this year yet come February, we cannot seem to remember where we put our manuals. The good news is, resolutions do not have to seem like so much hard work once we enjoy the process. It only takes preparation and dedication. An article I read online reminded me of how important it is to be account-able to someone as we pursue our dreams. At Manama Toastmasters, we pledge to be with you along the way as your pursue your next toastmaster’s milestone. Think of a TM or a DTM that you most admire and strive to meet his/her standard. Learn from your mistakes and look back at your past evaluations. Always remember to celebrate each milestone and remember just how far you have come. At Manama Toastmasters, we believe in you & your dreams and we promise to be with you all the way until we look back at the end of year and say YES! We did it! Best regards, Hannah Karanja

“Inspiring you to be your best”

When I started my journey as a Toastmaster, I had always looked upon Manama Toastmasters as a club of Great Respect and Ex-cellence; the legendary Club of Bahrain, the pillar strength of Divi-sion C

Even today Manama Toastmasters signifies as A Club Par Excel-lence and Performance. I was enthralled during my visit as Divi-sion C Governor to watch the high quality performances by the members. The fabulous innovative ideas of the members, the In-volvement and Commitment of the Excom members right from the President to the Sgt-at-arms is what makes their club meetings sparkle with quality.

Keep going with your commitment in reaching heights of success year after year. Achieving President’s Distinguished Club Status will definitely bring pride to our Division and District. So keep working and may your success journey continue.

Wishes,

Rosaline Roy Charlie, DTM

Division C Governor

District 20 - Toastmasters International

Kingdom of Bahrain

Message from Division C Governor

Managing Editor TM Hannah Karanja

-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying good-bye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terribly wrong.

As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look for-ward to coming home, When you arrive home, you find a small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?

B) Did your daughter cause it?

C) Did the policeman cause it?

D) Did you cause it?

The answer is D. You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have hap-pened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs.

After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child get-ting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended differ-ent. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reac-tion.

It will change your life (at least the way you react to situa-tions). What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different.

You determine the other 90%. How? By your reac-tion. You cannot control a red-light., but you can control your reaction. Don't let peo-ple fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just hap-pened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knock-ing the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out, etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? (A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure sky-rocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten minutes later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?

Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it. The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight atten-dant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passen-ger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90/10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the re-sults. You will lose nothing if you try it.

The 90/10 principle is incredi-ble. Very few apply this princi-ple. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heart-ache. There never seems to be a success in life. Bad days follow bad days. Terrible things seem to be constantly happening. There is con-stant stress, lack of joy, and broken relationships.

Worry consumes time. Anger breaks friendships and life seems dreary and is not enjoyed to the fullest. Friends are lost and life is a bore. You can be different! Under-stand and apply the 90/10 princi-ple. It will change your life.

Discover the 90/10 Principle

Write an article or con-

tribute a story, joke,

picture or anything

that you would like to

share with fellow

Toastmasters and you

will be entered in a

Monthly draw to win

fabulous prizes and you

will also be entered

into the Grand draw in

June 2013.

So hurry up and con-

tribute to Horizon

newsletter.

Contribute & Win

Stephen Covey

P A G E 4

I N S P I R I N G Y O U T O B E Y O U R B E S T

Contribution by TM Zakaria Sulaiman

P A G E 5

Salman Mohamed Shaikh

My Toastmasters Journey

My journey with Toastmasters started way back in 1994. It is a journey that got de- toured several times due to other commit-ments. I joined Toastmasters at a time when I felt an ‘empty nest ’ syndrome after my only daughter left for higher education in the U.K. Joining Toastmasters was then the wisest decision that I made and it has been an amazing educational and social experience that I will always cherish. Toastmasters then was a fantastic group to join. I made new friends quickly, learned a lot from other members and our educa-tional programs. It was a time when we had a very vibrant group of Toastmasters with equally diverse activities and projects. A golden era for Manama Toastmasters! I already had some speaking experience at college level hence I was not overly afraid of public speaking. However, I had nervous-ness ( I still do) to shed and in the process learned many techniques and mannerisms of Public speaking. By taking up various

roles inside and outside the club, It served as a platform to practice our skills and be with like minded people. The learning process still continues. One difference between then and now, was that there were long standing members and new members did not leave soon after joining. This made for great bonhomie and a close friend ship between the members who looked forward to meeting each other every Saturday. And of course the food was more appetizing! As for me, if I had continued with the same momentum that I had 10-15 years back, I would have achieved a DTM by now. But I never thought of DTM as an end in itself. I must admit that somewhere along, I lost the drive. It could be due to so many other time consuming yet exciting activities that I got involved with, hence I cannot put the blame on the club. Getting back to project speeches after a

gap of 7 years was not easy. I am glad at least at this late stage I could finish my AC- B project speeches. I can proudly say that whatever speeches that I have made so far were all quality ones on which much thoughts have been given to the content. I will always be grateful for all the wonderful lessons and lovely friends that I gained from Toastmasters. Joining Manama Toastmasters almost 2 decades back was one of the best deci-sions I ever made!! By TM Mariam Jacob

TM Mariam Jacob with TM Bharat Patil receiving the ACB certificate from Toastmasters International

Q: How did you hear about Manama Toastmasters? A: My father was one of the Toastmaster members. Q: How was your reception by fellow toastmasters when you were a guest? A: It was more than what I expected as help and friendliness. Q: How did you find our meeting different from other formal meetings?

A: I didn't attend a lot of formal meetings but what I notice clearly was it's a learning place and not a judging placing. Q: If we tell you that, the membership fees here are 50BD, would you still be interested to join? A: I will still pay for it as long as it is a positive learning place to be a stronger speaker. Q: Which part of our meeting did you like the best ? And which part did you dislike the most ? A: Everything is great but I feel it will be greater also if we have more explanation on the Timer, President and type of speeches and awards so that that the guests understand what is happening faster. Q: If you become a member, how far would you like to reach with Toast-masters? A: As long as am learning and I can share my knowledge with others in the future, I can continue to the highest role.

Guest’s Microphone Q: How did you hear about Manama Toastmasters? A: Through another Toastmaster Q: How was your reception by fellow toastmasters when you were a guest? A: Excellent Q: How did you find our meeting different from other formal meetings? A: Professional, decent, Q: If we tell you that, the membership fees here are 50BD, would you still be interested to join? A: Won't mind investing in learning and education as I feel learning and education has greater value than money Q: Which part of our meeting did you like the best? And which part did you dislike the most? A: I liked the Word of the week, I didn’t dislike anything. Q: If you become a member, how far would you like to reach with Toastmasters? A: I would like to take up any responsibility which suites my profile

Prashanth Gudibande

P A G E 6

CLUB GOAL ! To achieve 10 points

President’s Distinguished Club

At Crossroads? Choose your path There are two distinctive paths in the Toastmasters Educational Sys-tem. It is recommended that both paths be taken. The two paths, the Communication Track and the Leadership Track are detailed be-low:

Communication Track

Members who wish to focus on communication skills begin with the Competent Communication man-ual that’s included in the New Member Kit. Once they have com-pleted this manual, they can pro-gress to manuals in the Advanced Communication Series.

You can choose the manuals you want to complete and the skills you want to learn. Working in the advanced manuals, you’ll refine and enhance our speaking skills and become eligible for following awards: Advanced Communicator Bronze (ACB) Advanced Communicator Silver (ACS) Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG) Leadership Track Members working in the leadership track learn and practice leadership skills by serving in club roles. The Competent Leadership manual is the core of the leadership track. When you complete the manual, you are eligible for Competent Leader (CL) recogni-tion. After earning the CL award you can further refine and develop your leadership skills by working in the ad-vanced leader program. Members work-ing in this program are eligible for fol-lowing awards: Advanced Leader Bronze (ALB) Advanced Leader Silver (ALS) The Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) is the highest level of certification presently awarded by Toastmasters Inter-national. The DTM is also the hardest award to earn.

P A G E 7

In this column we feature recipes from fellow Toastmaster. TM Shauna Nearing Loej shared a family recipe. We are grateful to this kind gesture and look forward to various recipes from Toastmasters since we are a diverse club with many nationalities. Jette’s Crisp Bread (c) This is a family recipe from our Danish great Aunt Jette that is made weekly in our home. The super nutritious crisp bread or knækbrød, as it is known in Denmark, is often served with cheese, liver pate or fish spreads. We love it on its own as a quick snack and bring it to school almost every day! Ingredients 100 grams (or ½ cup) oatmeal 100 g sunflower seeds 100 g pumpkin seeds 100 g flax seeds 150 g flour (we use whole wheat and mix in a few tablespoons of ground flax if it’s on hand) 1 tsp salt 75 ml oil 200 ml water 1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then place between two pieces of baking paper and roll out. You can use any size pan but make sure the mixture is thinly spread. 2. Remove top layer of baking paper and bake at around 160 degrees Celsius for about 20-25 minutes (depending on your oven, but it should be crisp!). 3. You can score the mixture before you bake it or simply break it up in pieces after it has baked. 4. Optional: Sprinkle with sesame seeds for extra goodness. Store the crisp bread in an airtight container for up to three weeks. Makes enough for two weeks worth of snacks for three kids! Tip: For an airier bread add 1 tsp of baking powder. Enjoy!

SHARE YOUR RECIPE

TM Shauna Nearing Loej

FEBRUARY 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

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Fellow Toastmasters, How effectively are you spending your 24 hours? 24 hours is all we have to achieve our goals, which give meaning to our lives. "101 Ways to Make Every

Second Count" will give you timeless tips to use your 24 hours wisely such as: Make to-do lists, Manage meetings, Overcome pro-crastination Read the Abstract to learn more...

P A G E 8

Book Review by TM Abdulla Mian

TAKE-AWAYS 1. Technology and faster communications are among the reasons people feel so rushed today. 2. People now view time as their most treasured commodity. 3. Time management skills can enable you to get more done in less time. 4. Organizational skills can help you reduce time wasted. 5. To be productive, you actually have to want to be productive. You need to be willing to create the work style and lifestyle to

match that desire. 6. Burnout can be avoided by managing your energy and pacing yourself. 7. With a few key work style changes, you can increase your efficiency and productivity by 10%, which can make a big impact. 8. Work must be balanced with rest and relaxation for maximum productivity. 9. Clutter is your enemy. 10. Worrying is a waste of time. Quick Tips to Speed You Up Some of the rush you feel is due to technology. In an article in the Business-to-Business Marketer, writer Gary Springer says, “We’ve learned to live by the Rule of 6. What used to take six months, now takes six weeks; what used to take six weeks now is wanted in six days; what normally took six days is needed in six hours; and what used to be done in six hours is now expected in six minutes.” What can you do to keep up? Learn time management skills.

Schedule of Events

} TM Mobin Mathew celebrated his birthday on 1st February.

} TM Bharat Patil celebrated his birth-day on 16th February.

} TM Krsihnadas celebrated his birth-day on 20th February.

} TM Edmore celebrated his wedding anniversary on 23rd February.

} TM Guraz Wankadia celebrated his wedding anniversary on 24th Feb

a journey of self-discovery. Q: What is your favourite sound or noise? A: The pitter patter of raindrops on the roof of a house as it is so soothing and comforting. Q: If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why? Pick one man, and one woman. A: I wish I could meet my dad again as he died when I was a teen-ager. I would have liked to know more about his life and tell him how much I loved him as I never got the chance to on the day he died. If I had to meet a woman, I would have liked to meet Mother Theresa face to face, to talk to her and see what made her the most selfless and giving person that ever was. Q: What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know? A: I am a free human being with an independent will. Q: If you could speak to one type of animal, what would it be? A: It would be interesting to talk to Dolphins and see what they have to say. Q: What is your favorite tradition from your childhood, that you would love to pass on to your children? A: The spirit of giving to those less fortunate. When I was a teenager, a group of us would go to visit the geriatric home for the aged or the orphanage to spend some time and give some gifts to the chil-dren. Nowadays this is not so easy and there is quite a lengthy proce-dure to be followed but I feel that this would help the youth to learn to not only think of themselves but view the world around them in a different light.

Q: Having couples as members in our club, will it help them to be better communicators at home? A: Absolutely better communica-tors not only amongst themselves but with their children as well. The marriage will be more vibrant as they both learn to be more vocal in expressing their feelings to each other, thus overcoming conflicts creating a true and deeper friend-ship. Q: If you are given the authority to “change” Toastmasters name, what would you choose? A: Toastmaster is fine just the way it is. I love the saying that if something isn't broken, don't fix it. Q: Who has made the biggest im-pact on your life so far, and why? A: My mother. I know it may seem like a cliché but I feel that the love she has shown for me thus far sur-passes everything I have read about or even witnessed to this day. Q: Describe yourself in one word. A: Indecisive Q: What is the most interesting trip you have taken and why? A: My whole life seems to be a trip, everyday of my life I experience different things, with its up and downs. The ups motivate me to do better and the downs teach me that everything in life is not perfect and that there is always a rainbow after the storm. I try my best to learn something new each and every day. In this way I can say that every day is

P A G E 9

Get to know Fellow Toastmasters

TM Zakaria Sulaiman

TM Chris Noronha

A: It would be a Lion (the king of the jungle). Q: What is your favorite tradi-tion from your childhood that you would love to pass on to your children? A: To respect those who re-spect you whatever nationality or religion they belong.

Q: Having couples as mem-bers in our club, will it help them to be better communi-cators at home? A: Yes they listen to each other and stick to the time limit. Having same interest adds to the enjoyment of being a Toastmaster. Q: If you are given the au-thority to “change” Toast-masters name, what would you choose? A: Leadership-Made-Simple Q: Who has made the big-gest impact on your life so far, and why? A: My wife because she is the kindest person I have ever met in my life. Q: Describe yourself in one word A: Gentleman Q: What is the most inter-esting trip you have taken and why: A: It was my honey moon in Singapore and Malaysia. Q: What is your favorite sound or noise? A: The sound of TV Q: If you could meet some-one living or dead, who would it be and why? Pick one man, and one woman. A: Nelson Mandela and Hel-len Keller Q: What is something that not a lot of people know about you but you WISH more people COULD know? A: I am gentler than I look. Q: If you could speak to one type of animal, what would it be?

“Leadership is not magnetic personality—that

can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not "making

friends and influencing people"—that is flattery.

Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher

sights, the raising of a person's performance to a

higher standard, the building of a personality

beyond its normal limitations”

Peter F. Drucker

P A G E 1 0

DTM Clement Vinayak has been a member of Manama Toastmasters for 24 years. The Horizon met up with him for coffee and he shared a few memories from yesteryear. Q: When did you join Manama Toastmasters? A: I joined MTM in the year 1989 Q: What roles have you held and what is your highest achievement? A: I am a DTM and have served in Manama Toastmasters and Bahrain Advanced Toastmasters. I am a past Area 3 Gover-nor and held various positions and assignments including President of both clubs. In the DTAC events I was a Judge and also participated in the at the GTAC International Speech Contest in Doha in 1998. Q: What were your best memories in your Toastmasters Journey? A: My best memories of MTM yester year are the good friends I have made from that era. Vijay Boloor, Iqbal Butt, Mariam, Kawther, Ponnuchammy. I also enjoyed public ser-vice where I coordinated 10 YLP and speech craft from 1991 to 2005. Q: Why is Crowne Plaza significant to Manama Toastmasters and has the venue ever changed? A: Crown Plaza is an excellent venue and many of the mem-bers particularly Bahraini prefer the ambience. Of course the venue has changed. We started out at Del-mon Hotel. Then when I joined we were at the Hilton Hotel (Now Golden Tulip) then Holiday Inn ( Now Crown Plaza). Q: What were the highlights of the 30th Anniversary of Man-ama Toastmasters? A: The biggest Highlight of the 30th Anniversary was the excom's visit to the Palace to meet the Amir Shk. Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa and then for the first time a TMI Interna-tional Director, Mr. Ian Edwards came to Bahrain. He was received as a guest by Min of Information. I have a VHS video with his talk, maybe you can convert to CD or DVD and distribute to interested Toastmasters .

By DTM Clement Vinayak

Toastmaster of the Month P A G E 1 1

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: SILENCE YOUR MIND So the farmer sent the little boy back in

the barn.

After a while the little boy came out with

the watch in his hand! The farmer was

both happy and surprised and so he asked

the boy how he succeeded where the rest

had failed.

The boy replied, "I did nothing but sit on

the ground and listen. In the silence, I

heard the ticking of the watch and just

looked for it in that direction.

MORAL:

A peaceful mind can think better than a

worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of

silence to your mind every day, and see,

how sharply it helps you to set your life

the way you expect it to be...!

There once was a farmer

who discovered that he

had lost his watch in the

barn. It was no ordinary

watch because it had sen-

timental value for him.

After searching high and low among the hay

for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the

help of a group of children playing outside the

barn. He promised them that the person who

found it would be rewarded.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the

barn, went through and around the entire

stack of hay but still could not find the watch.

Just when the farmer was about to give up

looking for his watch, a little boy went up to

him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, "Why

not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.

Well Done to TM Hannah Karanja on becoming Toastmaster of the Month February 2013.

If you're still wondering how you can get this award, its a 3- step process : perform a lot of assign-ments, pay your dues in time, and be regular at the toastmaster meet-ings. The point - system is de-scribed in the table to the right.

What will I learn from my CL? The CL manual is provided to all the toastmasters when joining the club. What is it all about. The competent leader manual is an essential manual to shape you into the leader of tomorrow. It encourages each and every member to take up assignments in stages focus-ing on certain elements like time for instance. Each project helps you ac-quire certain skills and also it will help you contribute to the club meetings as well. Other than the projects in the manual the CL encourages members to focus on other aspects relating to leadership like mentoring new members, organiz-ing club events, participating in certain Excom roles and so on. These help us to polish our administrative skills as a toastmaster. This is applicable not only in life in general but can be adapted to our work circumstances too. Dear Toastmasters work on your CL and make it an integral part of your leadership training. Bring it to every meeting of the club and make sure that the VP Education signs off for the vari-ous roles you have undertaken. Enjoy the title when you complete it and then take it with you to towards the route of DTM.

TM Hannah Karanja

TM Claire Cosgrove

P A G E 1 2 Grammar Rules 2 Parts of Speech

Articles

An article is a kind of adjective which is always used with and gives some information about a noun. There are only

two articles a and the, but they are used very often and are important for using English accurately.

The word a (which becomes an when the next word begins with a vowel - a, e, i, o, u) is called the indefinite article because the noun it goes with is indefinite or general. The meaning of the article a is similar to the number one, but one is stronger and gives more emphasis. It is possible to say I have a book or I have one book, but the second sentence emphasizes that I do not have two or three or some other number of books.

The word the is known as the definite article and indicates a specific thing. The difference between the sentences I sat on a chair and I sat on the chair is that the second sentence refers to a particular, specific chair, not just any chair.

Many nouns, especially singular forms of countable nouns which you will learn about later, must have an article. In English, it is not possible to say I sat on chair without an article, but a demonstrative or pos-sessive adjective can be used instead of an article as in the sentences I sat on that chair and I sat on his chair.

Whenever you see an article, you will find a noun with it. The noun may be the next word as in the man or there may be adjectives and perhaps adverbs between the article and the noun as in the very angry, young man.

Source: http://eslus.com

Who is the General Evaluator? P A G E 1 3

Humorous Speech Contest Night

At the meeting keep note of the changes in the Agenda if any and confirm the evaluators speaking order. When intro-duced walk quickly to the lectern and shake the Master of ceremony’s hand. Explain the role of your assignment for the benefit of the guests. Kindly ask the timer to give the report of the prepared speeches only.

Proceed to introduce each evaluator stat-ing the evaluator’s name and the speaker’s name. Lead the applause after each evalua-tors report and then return to the lectern to shake hands. After all the evaluations are complete call for the timekeepers report for any evaluators who did not qualify.

The GE of the club is an experienced mem-ber who evaluates the session from start to the end. The GE should have demonstrated sufficient experience and has done evalua-tions in the past.

Before the meeting the GE has certain re-sponsibilities. You should come on time to ensure that the meeting is covered from start to end. You can offer assistance to the evaluators if needed and if you have any changes to the evaluators try to contact the VP education with the changes and the Mas-ter of ceremony for the Agenda. Its also handy to have brief biographies or informa-tion from the evaluators for the introduc-tions ensuring that we abide by the theme of the evening.

Call for the grammarians report and the Ah counters report. Give your com-ments on the table topic session and the joke master session. Give creative, challenging and constructive feed-back on the rest of the meeting starting with the presidential address, business session and the general meeting set up. Return the control back to the Master of ceremony once that is complete.

Adapted from Toastmasters wears many hats

notice the men in the audience all

nodding in agreement). TM May then

gave us her speech on coincidences

with a theme that centered on dat-

ing. Next was TM Chris who revealed

the real reason why she joined Toast-

masters – Dating. TM Waleed then

gave us a mans perspective on - you

guessed it – Dating! TM Hannah was

not to be left behind as she again tack-

led the same complex, complicating

and convoluted subject -Dating!!! (If

you are keeping count, that’s a total of

4 speeches on the topic).

TM Asrar then changed the topic and

hilariously told us about his first at-

tempt at bungee jumping. (Who knew

The Manama Toastmasters Humorous Contest was held on 3 February 2013.

The Contest chair was TM Mariam Jacob who skillfully

took control of the reigns and kicked the evening into

high gear with 7 speakers ready to demonstrate their

prowess in humorous speaking. Before long, it became

evident that one theme was going to dominate the eve-

ning - Dating! 57% of the speeches (that’s 4 out of 7

speeches for those who are mathematically challenged)

zeroed in on the subject.

TM Zakaria was the first to step onto the podium with

his hilarious speech on shopping in a hypermarket and

having to keep calling lovely Afaf. (We couldn’t help but

that our well-groomed, polished, corpo-

rate-looking treasurer had a wild side??).

Last but not least, keralite (No. That’s

not the name of a low fat/sugar free bis-

cuit. Pronounced as it is spelt, it’s a word

used to refer to people from the Indian

state of Kerala) TM Sayam closed with a

hilarious speech on how his statesmen

were on the moon before NASA got

there. He even had the pictures to prove

it!!

Well done to winners of the day

1st place: TM Hannah Karanja

2nd Place: TM Chris Noronha

3rd Place: TM Asrar Merchant

Many thanks to the team:

Contest Chair: TM Mariam Jacob

Chief Judge: DTM I. Joel

Timers: TM Laxman and TM Shauna.

Tally Counter: TM Syam and TM Mo-

bin.

Sergeant at arms: TM Krishnadas

6 Contestants from Left to right (missing TM Zakaria Sulaiman)

WHAT LICENCE DO HOLD? P A G E 1 4

issued in the Middle Ages, a period of European history that began in the 5th century and lasted until the 15th century Do you know what it takes to be a Pilot? To start, you will need a PPL which means Private Pilots license. With a PPL, you can fly aircraft, how-ever you may not be paid to fly. Just like driving your own car With a CPL which means Commercial Pilots Licence you can be paid to fly air-craft. All flying jobs require at least a CPL. A banking license is a prerequisite for a financial institution that wants to provide banking services. Under most jurisdictions, the fundamental banking activities, such as taking deposits from the general public, are exclusive to holders of a banking license. Fishing is, undoubtedly, the biggest recreational sport in the world, Most places and in the UK in particular you will need a permit or license to fish. In addition to a single fishing rod, any additional rod you have you will re-quire a licence. Fisherman pay £24.50(14 BD) for a rod licence which goes towards policing poaching and pollu-tion. If you are caught without a li-cence you may be fined up to £2500 (1490 BD). In Bahrain I can simply go and fish on the side of the bridge side. In most countries, only persons with a medical license bestowed either by a specified government-approved professional association or a govern-

ment agency are authorized to practice medicine. Licenses are not granted automatically to all people with medical degrees.

A television licence (or broadcast receiving li-

cence) is official permission required in many coun-

tries for the reception of television broadcasts, or the

possession of a television set. The licence is some-

times also required to own or receive radio broad-

casts. A TV licence is generally a hypothecated tax for

the purpose of funding public broadcasting, thus allow-

ing public broadcasters to transmit television pro-

grammes without, or with only supplemental, funding

from radio and television advertisements. However, in

some cases the balance between public funding and

advertisements is the opposite -

the PolishTVP broadcaster receives more funds from

advertisements than from its TV tax.

Whilst TV licensing is rare in the Americas, half of the

countries of Asia and Africa, and two-thirds of the

countries in Europe use television licences to fund

public television. A licensor may grant permission to a licensee to distribute products under a trademark. With such a license, the licensee may use the trademark without fear of a claim of trademark infringement by the licen-sor. A software licence is a legal instrument (usually by way of contract law, with or without printed material) governing the use or redistribution of software. All software is copyright protected, except material in the public domain. Contractual confidentiality is an-other way of protecting software. A typical software license grants an end-user permission to use one or more copies of software in ways where such a use would otherwise potentially constitute copyright in-fringement of the software owner's exclusive rights under copyright law.

Research from Google/Wikipedia

I remember leaving the hospital - think-ing, 'Wait, are they going to let me just walk off with him? I don't know anything about babies! I don't have a licence to do this.' [We're] just amateurs.” said Anne Tyler an American born writer. When people hear the word licence the only thing that comes to mind is the Driv-ing licence. What do you think is the phrase that most parents dread to hear? ‘I have my licence now, so can I have the car keys, dad?’ Toastmasters gives us the opportunity to develop skills which imprint a licence in us. I personally believe these can be a Licence to be confident, Licence to care, Licence to lead and Licence to do something new. I would like to devote this article to some research I did on various types of licences I found interesting from the multitudes you can find on the internet. The first license to drive a motor vehicle was issued to the inventor of the modern automobile, Karl Benz, in 1888. Because the noise and smell of his Motorwagen resulted in complaints by the citizens of Mannheim. (Mannheim is a city in south-western Germany), Benz requested and received written permission by the Grand Ducal authorities to operate his car on public roads. A marriage licence is a document is-sued, either by a church or state author-ity, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies from country to country and has changed over time. Marriage licenses began to be

I’m the only man in the world with

a marriage licence made out to

whom it may concern

Mickey Ronney.

All you need is Love by TM Hannah Karanja P A G E 1 5

trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species"! (Oh I don't think so Waleed! - We hopeless romantics beg to differ.) Two speakers were on queue; TM Sayam gave a speech on the “Just in case syn-drome” i.e. holding on to things at home, in the office etc just in case they come in handy some day. In other words, he was speaking to all the hoarders in the room. (Guilty!) TM Claire then gave us a poign-ant timely speech on gun control that got us thinking of the 1960’s Beatles hit song “All we need is love”. Joke Master TM Waleed, after his enter-taining Grammy winning performance, gave us a cocktail of hilarious love quotes mixed with jokes from his own observa-tions on love whilst TM Sadaf challenged the commentators to comment on pic-tures that ranged from “a girls best friend” (Yes. Diamonds) to the wonderful icon of great love – The Taj Mahal. To wrap up the evening, the following quote was on the screen for all read; Reach out and touch a soul that is hungry Reach out and touch a spirit in despair Reach out and touch that neighbour that hates you.

A meeting with a difference it was indeed! On Saturday 16th February Manama Toastmasters had

late Valentine gift meeting. 12 members in attendance, 2 of them returning guests, all thought they were in the wrong board-room as they were treated to a room lovingly adorned with balloons and rose petals strewn all around. As if that was not enough, soft background music filled the room and our friends from Crown Plaza crowned it all by surprising us with some adorable Indian sweets during the break. Why all the fuss? Well, all was in line with the theme of the evening - Love! They say love does funny things to people and we witnessed it LIVE! First to fall prey to the love magic was our president TM Bharat Patil who during his presidential speech vehemently promised not to talk about love but before he or we knew it, he had succumbed and was lovingly telling us about his wife. Next was Joke Master TM Waleed who before his joke session spontaneously started snapping his fingers and entertained us with an opening act which for a moment looked like a Justine Timberlake stage show. Throughout the evening, all role players shared with us their favourite quote on love and what a range! Turns out that Manama Toastmasters is made up of Aca-demics (who quoted Oscar Wilde and Mother Teresa), Dreamers ( who quoted "Frankie goes to Hollywood" and the Cookie Monster) and even one Skeptic who believes that romantic love is "a dirty

T H E I N S I D E S T O R Y

Valentines Humour

By TM Waleed Noaman

• “Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties” Anonymous

• “Love is a game that two can play and both win” Eva Gabor

• “Love is an ocean of emotions entirely surrounded by expenses” Thomas Robert Dewer

• “Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after the husband walked across it in his barn boots” Hoosier Farmer

• After she woke up, a woman told her husband, "I just dreamed you gave me a diamond necklace for Valentine’s Day. What do you think it means?" "You’ll know tonight," he said. That evening the husband came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it--to find a book entitled “The Meaning of Dreams.”

• Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, "Why is the bride dressed in white?" "Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the hap-piest day of her life." The child thought about this for a mo-ment, then said, "So why is the groom wearing black?"

THE EXCOM JAN-JUN 2013 Manama Toastmasters Club was established in

1964, It is the first in the Middle East and

is registered under the Ministry of Labour and

Social Affairs (reg. no. 74/C/C). It is affiliated to

Toastmasters International USA.

Our mission is to provide a mutually supportive

and positive environment in which every member

has the opportunity to develop communication

and leadership skills which, in turn, foster

self-confidence and personal growth.

Our meetings are held every Saturday from 7:00

p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel,

Kingdom of Bahrain.

Guests are always welcome.

Visit www.manamatoastmasters.org

for more information or Like us on face book

https://www.facebook.com/manama.toastmasters

Contact VP-Membership Muna Alaiwi

on +973 39271739 or

VP-Public Relations Edmore Mleya

on +973 36061524

Visit Toastmaster International

on http://www.toastmasters.org/

Division C Governor DTM Rosaline Roy seated on the right of TM Bharat Patil with Manama Toastmasters members on 9th February.

TM Bharat Patil President

TM Thuraya Juma VP Education

TM Ed Mleya VP Public Relations

TM Sadaf Gill Secretary

TM Asrar Merchant Treasury

TM Adulla Mian librarian

TM Muna Alaiwi VP Membership

Sub Committee

VP PR: Shauna Nearing

VP Membership: TM Zakaria

& TM Krishnadas

Stg st Arms: TM Maisa Sheikh

TM Hannah Karanja Sgt at Arms