President's Address - 10 Jul 2008

Date: 10 July 2008 (Thu)
Time: 7.40pm
Venue: Rm 1.08 KDU College

Good evening ladies and gentlemen.

Let us all take a moment to close our eyes. Focus on your breathing.

Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Once again, breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. One last time. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Keep your eyes closed. And keep breathing.

The room is brightly lit. The murmurs are anticipatory. Your name is called out and you step forward. Suddenly, silence. A deafening silence fills the room. All eyes are on you. You look around but the spotlights are blinding. Your blood rushes through your veins. The adrenaline kicks in. You open your mouth but nothing comes out. You start to sweat. Still, nothing comes out of your mouth. Your humiliation index increases. You want to crawl out of your skin now.

Suddenly you are shaken so violently your eyes open. It was only a dream. And one that will remain a dream because today you are here. Today, you have made a commitment to improve, to make a difference. Today, you want to Be The Change. And for that simple reason, I congratulate you!

Welcome each and everyone of you to D’Utama Advanced Toastmasters Club’s first meeting for the 2008/2009 term! I have not been officially installed but as President elect, and on behalf of DU Advanced Toastmasters, I extend nothing but the warmest greetings to our honoured guests. It is a pleasure for me to be hosting you and I hope your choice to visit us today pays dividends.

Be The Change.

I took my parents and my good friend’s mom to watch Kung Fu Panda two weeks ago. I loved it so much, I took another friend the following week. Po is a panda. He works in the noodle restaurant owned by his father. He is large and clumsy but dreams of becoming a kung fu master. His father wants him to take over the noodle business.

By a twist of fate, Po finds himself in the position of the Dragon Warrior, the one chosen to defeat the evil Tai Lung, to the disdain of five more worthy kung fu exponents and the respected kung fu master named Shifu. Po tolerated their obvious contempt for him because he dreamt of becoming more than the failure he thought he was.

Ladies and gentlemen what started out to be a night of entertaining my parents and aunty, ended up being an affirmation of what we as Toastmasters try to inculcate in ourselves and others. Belief in yourself. We can want change so badly, but if we do not embrace change, we will never change. And change begins when we make a commitment to ourselves and our brethren.

With that, I would like to invite all DU Advanced Toastmasters to rise and join me in reaffirming our pledge to D’Utama Advanced Toastmasters Club.

“I, [state your own name]_, in the presence of my fellow members of D’Utama Advanced Toastmasters Club, make this firm obligation
to attend meetings regularly and prepare fully for each assignment,
to apply myself to the program outlined in the Toastmasters manuals,
to participate actively in club activities,
to evaluate others in a positive, constructive manner,
to build open, friendly relationships with my fellow members, and
to bring other new members into the Club so that they can also gain the benefits of Toastmasters.

We, D’Utama Advanced Toastmasters Club, pledge to support each other in our quest for self-development, to provide each other with positive, helpful evaluations, to maintain a friendly, supportive atmosphere, to give each other opportunities to help others, and to make ours and each others’ Toastmasters memberships a rewarding and fulfilling experience.”

Thank you.


Best regards,

Deborah Hoe, CTM
President 2008/2009