CHANGKAT-KATONG JOINT MEETING ON 1st OCTOBER 2020

 We kickstarted the last quarter of the year with a phenomenal joint meeting with Tampines Changkat Toastmasters Club. We even came up with two portmanteaus (blend of two words) to describe our union: Changkatong or Kachang (which do you prefer? 😊)

SAA Bhaskar (from TCTMC) started the meeting promptly at 7.30pm and welcomed members from both clubs, eliciting excited whoops and enthusiastic applause. TME Wayne Nerva (from TCTMC) upped the energy level with his clever puns and succinct introductions of each appointment holder.

Language Evaluator Hyder Taufik (from TCTMC) gave us "ascend" as Word of the Day. It's a verb that means to "move, climb or go upward; rise to a higher point or degree". We definitely hope the joint meeting tonight allows us to ascend to greater heights of online collaboration!

TCTMC President Wendy Wang likened the current pandemic to a battlefield. In his words, "Everyday is like a war zone, fighting in an endless battle. We're being bombarded from different directions, and we don't even know when the next bomb will be dropped." When we're feeling wounded and weary, his advice to us is simply to REST. 

The prepared speech segment saw 4 brilliant speakers giving inspiring and invigorating speeches. First speaker Kendrik (from TCTMC) shared a timely topic about how posture affects our health in his L1 Research and Presenting project. As many of us are sitting for long hours due to computer work, it can lead to back aches and pain. He shared research on how we can adjust our posture and do timely stretching to prevent this problem.

Second speaker Thomas (from Katong) shared candidly about his bad habits of late nights, supper and snacking in place of proper meals and how that gave him a health scare when he suffered from chest pains one day. That was the wake-up call for him to make a change towards healthy living. This has not only improved his health, but also his wealth and relationships!

Third speaker Eliz (from Katong) in her speech "Field of Wishes" shared insights she learned from her adorable 4-year-old boy Noah. Instead of seeing a field of weeds, he sees a field of wishes as he can blow the dandelions and make wishes. From children, we can learn to change our perspectives, be our own cheerleader and be adaptable, regardless of difficult circumstances.

Final speaker Thuy (from TCTMC) inspired us to have a growth mindset in her L3 project "Inspire Your Audience". She started off as a child prodigy but failed her final year in high school. To combat the depression she felt, she began to read voraciously and started the climb towards acquiring knowledge and starting over. Her quest to continually improve herself through learning and self-development catapulted her from failure to millionaire status.

During the break, Aly (from TCTMC) showed an entertaining video of the October babies dancing to jazzy music. We wish the October babies (Michael, Edward, Krrish, Sheila & Eliz) HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 🎈🎈🎈🎈🎉🎉🎉🎉

In the Evaluation segment, Swarna commended Kendrik on his timely content and smooth delivery. She recommended that he adjusts the source of light so that his facial expressions can be seen clearly and to possibly explore delivering his speech standing up. 

Kathy enjoyed Thomas' personal stories and choice of topic, which is relatable to many. She suggested a better stage setting, avoid rocking in his chair and to rehearse his speech to ensure he doesn't go overtime.

Widya felt as if Eliz's online presence spilled through her computer screen. She praised Eliz for her use of relatable examples and animated facial expressions in her speech. She encouraged Eliz to use more gestures and pauses to add impact to her presentation.

Geri enthused that Thuy had presented a gripping story of conflict, drama and hope in her journey of failure to triumph. She also liked her use of props such as the envelope and dollar notes. She wants to know what's Thuy's "secret sauce" that helped her achieve success and what was the turning point in her life. 

Table Topics Master Aarti (from Katong) offered participants the choice of a guided path (picture with a quote) or the road less travelled (picture without caption). Four of the Table Topics participants selected the guided paths while one brave soul chose the path less travelled. These were the topics chosen:

Topic attempted by Kathy

Topic attempted by Lalit

Topic attempted by Malcolm

Topic attempted by Marcel

Topic attempted by Haifa

Veteran Language Evaluator Hyder wowed us with his insightful and impactful evaluation. He commended all the 8 speakers who have used the Word of the Day, especially TME Wayne, who "spammed" it and used it most creatively, as in "your blood levels ascend, your sugar levels ascend, your blood pressure ascends and eventually you ascend to meet your Maker." He even had a segment on Wayne's wacky wordplay and highlighted the use of various rhetorical devices such as puns, alliteration and metaphors by the speakers throughout the meeting. Mispronounced words such as "fatigue", "wounded", "inspirational" and "fill" (not "feel") were given special mention. Especially significant was the explanation of portmanteaus, which refers to the combination of two words. There were three outstanding examples, namely, Changkatong, Kachang and Singapoliday. 

The LE was followed by a meticulous and detailed Ah Counter's report by Malcolm (from Katong) and General Evaluation by Joni (from Katong). She commended Wayne for being a consummate host, who delighted us with his humour and ensured a smooth-sailing event with his succinct segues from one speaker to the next. Timer Gomathy and Zoom host Hamzah were both very efficient and effective in their respective roles, as timing was reported promptly in the chatgroup and ZOOM polls were set up smoothly with no time wastage. 

Katong TMC President Swarna ended the meeting with her closing address in thanking TCTMC for a memorable joint meeting. She hopes that we will have more of such collaboration in future as it helps members from both clubs to learn from each other and elevate our standard of meeting.

Based on the voting results, the award winners for the evening are:

There was a tie for the Best Table Topics Speaker, one from each club! Congrats to all award winners! 

Thank you Tampines Changkat Toastmasters Club for a wonderful evening of laughter and learning! And here are the group photos taken of all the participants!