Master in Action, Voume 10, Issue 1

2013 Winter. Volume 10, Issue 1

Published February, 2013 1

MASTERSMASTERSMASTERSMASTERS ININININ ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTION

Connecting through memories

ow many of you have been to space?” she asks

the crowd.

Her hands are wet and she

knows the back of her blouse is

now stuck to her body. It is hot

in the room and the fan

stopped working two speakers

ago. She hates that she is too

nice. Too easy manipulated

into giving last minute

speeches. The dance is always the same. They watch her,

with eyes that expect too much. She watches them, with eyes

that plead for mercy and understanding.

Obviously, no one here has been to space. That was the point

of the question.

“How many of you have climbed Everest?” she asks again.

A single hand appears in the back. It is too far for her to see

who the hand belongs to.

“How many of you speak Hiligaynon?” she asks again,

hoping she even pronounces the word properly.

A few people laugh and she realizes they think it’s a joke. A

made up language, the likes of Klingon, City Speak, Gelfling

or Dothraki.

“It’s a real language,” she says and smiles. “Maybe I just

didn't pronounce it properly.” She tries again and a couple of

hands come up in the back of the room.

At this point, it doesn’t matter if they are raising their hands

to correct her or ask for clarification. She feels the room

becoming more confused and restless and knows she has to

jump to the heart of the matter. The reason she’s standing up

here and not enjoying a much less stressful experience at

home. One last question to connect the dots.

“How many remember what it’s like to have your heart

broken?”

The room makes a sound. It is the sound of recognition and

memories being lifted from the depth of sleep. She watches

as more and more hands rise up, creating a wave effect

across the room. In the eyes of those who watch her, she can

see the ghosts of memories acquiring new skin. With that

Text and illustration by Elaheh Bos

“H

InInInIn thisthisthisthis issue:issue:issue:issue:

My top 10 toastmasters memories - Angela He 2

December 18, 2012 Social Event !!! 4

Enshrined in History - Michael O’Donnell 6

New Year Dinner - Gaétane Ferland 8

Memories ... - Armita Dehmoobadsharifabadi 9

Perspective - Elise Fryml 10

What toastmasters did to me - Feng Zimin 11

Sahar’s sketching - Sahar Sajadi 12

Sweet memories from ... -Mehrnoosh Azodi 13

22nd, January 2013 Induction Ceremony 14



MASTERSMASTERSMASTERSMASTERS ININININ ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONsingle question, she has made her two points.

One, memories don't die.

Two, we are all connected by memories.

As time goes, she expands her speech. The lights no longer

bother her, the humming sound of her blood rushing through

at dangerous speed has stopped. She is calm. She talks about

facts and how they have little effects in bringing us

together. She gets the room to remember the small things.

Gestures of kindness from strangers, feelings of insecurity,

loneliness, love. These memories connect through a heart

line. They tap our common humanity and serve to remind us

that behind our numbers, facts and differences, we ALL have

a heart.

She smiles as she finishes and takes a mental snapshot of the

crowd. They are connected now. She closes her eyes and

catalogues this new memory for future use.

(Received 10th, January 2012; revision received 28th, January

2012)

My Top 10 Toastmasters MemoriesAngela He

013 marks my ten year anniversary with Toastmasters. Looking down

memory lane, here are the top 10 memories of my time with this

wonderful organization that has played a very positive role in my life

(mentioning names is my way to show my gratitude and respect to those

involved):

1. MostMostMostMost heartwarmingheartwarmingheartwarmingheartwarming compliments:compliments:compliments:compliments: “You will be an asset to anyorganization” by Jim Scollick, a retired engineer. Those words still

keep my spirit up when sometimes it feels like the world is

keeping me down. “You have the ability to make people listen what you

have to say”, from Jonathan Siegel, a psychologist whose words

make me want to strive to say things worth listening to. A few

adjectives from our current VP PR, Feng Zimin, when he introduced me at the meeting “dedicated, intelligent,

graceful, elegant, kind, nice, encouraging and competent”. It gives me great satisfaction to hear such validation

from fellow members. “You were a pillar of strength I could rely on any time I needed to. Your dedication was ameter for my dedication, and your passion was the engine of my passion” from Saif Malhem whose kind words

motivate me to be best I can be! “Your dedication and your joy in our club is a beautiful quality which shows

through in all your actions and e-mails. I feel as if you're my strong ally in TM battles” from my mentor George

Tabah who always remembers to send an encouraging word or two to keep me not only on the right track,

but always moving forward. “the happiest member of McGill club” by Eric Landy, who put a smile on

2



MASTERSMASTERSMASTERSMASTERS ININININ ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONeveryone’s face when he said so, especially mine. Who wants to miss a great place where she is regarded as

the happiesthappiesthappiesthappiest person in a group?

2. MostMostMostMost cherishedcherishedcherishedcherished birthdaybirthdaybirthdaybirthday wisheswisheswisheswishes: “Happy birthday to an excellent leader; a devoted, caring Toastmaster; a talented

photographer; a great dancer; a smart woman, etc., etc.... Wishing you a sensational birthday, Angela”! from Leona

Hamel, a past District Governor and a beautiful person inside out.

3. MostMostMostMost colorfulcolorfulcolorfulcolorful socialsocialsocialsocial: Summer 2004, a year after I joined the Thornhill Toastmasters club. I was surprised to

receive six certificates including Outstanding Toastmaster and Club Photographer, plus a Smile Award

trophy.

4. MostMostMostMost mesmerizingmesmerizingmesmerizingmesmerizing TableTableTableTable TopicsTopicsTopicsTopics performanceperformanceperformanceperformance: Kirk Wight as Yoga instructor, Eric Landry as hockey coach

while making Saif Malhem do push-ups, Marzieh Ghiasi’s stunning Transformation articulation during a

Round Robin session, George Tabah’s crawling on the floor and Anton Korenev’s climbing on the tables.

5. MostMostMostMost engagingengagingengagingengaging themethemethemetheme meetingsmeetingsmeetingsmeetings andandandand unforgettableunforgettableunforgettableunforgettable speechesspeechesspeechesspeeches: Reverse meeting, Table Topics Only night, Ice

Breaker Night, All Alumni Night. Unforgettable speeches include: Christine Halse’s skipping rope demo,

Kerri-Lyn’s singing “phantom of the opera” specialty speech, Louise Veronique Sicotte’s tango with her

partner.

6. MostMostMostMost proudproudproudproud initiativeinitiativeinitiativeinitiative: I restarted the club newsletter “Masters in Action” under the then-president, my

mentor and dear friend Suzannah Baum in 2005, published 8 issues in two years and since then it has won

Best Club Newsletter twice from District 61 and is still going very strong.

7. MostMostMostMost memorablememorablememorablememorable birthdaybirthdaybirthdaybirthday: Thanksgiving Day 2009, our club’s 400th meeting and my birthday. I received a

card, signed by many people. I also received a toast, given by Helen Peng and last but not least, I was

roasted by Amin Karbassi (a serious engineer and then club president), in front of 50 people.

8. MostMostMostMost impressedimpressedimpressedimpressed talentstalentstalentstalents amongamongamongamong fellowfellowfellowfellow members:members:members:members: Style coach Monica de Liz, painters Laura Abou Chahla

and Marzieh Ghiasi, most decorative McGill athlete Sarah Khan, speech coach Suzannah Baum, young pilot

Elise Fryml, wine maker John D’Agata, Hunter James Wen, actor and dancer Anton Korenev.

9. MostMostMostMost luckyluckyluckylucky dinnerdinnerdinnerdinner experienceexperienceexperienceexperience atatatat ToastmastersToastmastersToastmastersToastmasters InternationalInternationalInternationalInternational conference:conference:conference:conference: among hundreds of people from



MASTERSMASTERSMASTERSMASTERS ININININ ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONaround the world who attended the Toastmasters International conference held in Toronto in August 2004, I

was the only one who was placed at the same table with the 2004 World Champion of Public

Speaking –Lance Miller and his family at the dinner. I was lucky to have the chance to not only have a

picture with the champion but to have a pleasant evening with his family as well.

10. MostMostMostMost prestigiousprestigiousprestigiousprestigious award:award:award:award: I received “President of the Year 2008-2009” from District 61, which consisted of

185 clubs at that time. I am honored to be given such award and I dedicate it to the great club to which I

belong—the McGill Toastmasters Club.

Someone once said: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our

breath away”. With Toastmasters along the journey, I am sure there will be many more moments like that coming

my way.

(Received 15th, January 2013)

DecemberDecemberDecemberDecember 18,18,18,18, 2012201220122012 SocialSocialSocialSocial EventEventEventEvent !!!!!!!!!!!!

Food and its consumersNot only McGill Toastmasters but also guests from

Outremont Club and Speak With Style! (SWS)




Can~~~ you feel~ my love~ tonight?Gifts in front of the Xmas tree.They are for the executives

And the executives got the gifts ...

DecemberDecemberDecemberDecember 18,18,18,18, 2012201220122012 SocialSocialSocialSocial EventEventEventEvent !!!!!!!!!!!! (contd.)(contd.)(contd.)(contd.)




Enshrined in History

Michael O’Donnell

ave you ever played competitive sports at one

point in your life? I bet!

We are the competitive people. It’s that

competitiveness that drives us to our

ultimate goal, which in my context is to

win a championship. Championships are

elusive, reserved for the very elite few.

Now I’ve been playing sports year round

for my entire life and I only came close to

winning a major championship once. My

senior year of college we took 3rd place in the country for

club lacrosse. After graduation, I figured that would be my

last chance to ever win a championship, until I set off to

Peterborough, Ontario for the Canadian national lacrosse

playoffs.

While I was working in Montreal this summer,

I also had the opportunity to become the

assistant coach of the McGill University

varsity lacrosse team. As a young guy with

very little coaching experience, you could

argue that the stars literally aligned for me to

get this kind of an opportunity. You could also

argue that I was in over my head seeing how I

was filling the assistant coaching position that

was previously held by one of the all time

leading scorers in Cornell history, Sean Steinwald. With

H

But only one wins the beauty basket ... Welcome returning member

DecemberDecemberDecemberDecember 18,18,18,18, 2012201220122012 SocialSocialSocialSocial EventEventEventEvent !!!!!!!!!!!! (contd.)(contd.)(contd.)(contd.)



MASTERSMASTERSMASTERSMASTERS ININININ ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONjust me, the head coach, and the captains to manage the

team, we all had a lot of responsibility on our hands.

I remember showing up to the first week of tryouts and

thinking, what did I get myself into? Most of these guys

were better lacrosse players than I was and on top of that,

I was only a few years older than them. How would I ever

get them to listen to me? For the first couple of weeks, I

felt like I struggled to find my groove, but I continued to

press on and eventually I gained their respect.

With each game we won we became

closer and closer as a team and by mid

season we were tied for 1st place in the

Eastern Conference. As the team was

solidifying their playoff run, my

personal life took a slightly different

path and I needed to move back to the

United States. I remember breaking the

news to the team during one of our

frosty 6am practices. With just 5 games

left in the season, I was sad to say

goodbye to the team, but I promised

them that if they made the playoffs I

would be back to help coach

them to victory.

In my absence, Steinwald was

able to return to the team full time and help them go 4-1 in

the final 5 games of the season to clinch 1st place in the

Eastern Conference. We were headed to the playoffs, but

even though we were the top seed in our conference, the

road to the championship was not going to be easy.

In the semi finals we drew Guelph University from the

Western conference. The 3 of us coaches stayed up late

the night before planning out our strategy for the game.

Our defense would have their hands full as Guelph had the

highest scoring offense in the country. On game day we

found ourselves up by 1 at half and everything was going

as planned. But we came out sluggish in the 3rd quarter

and most of the 4th and with less than 2 minutes to go we

found ourselves down by 2 goals with Guelph killing the

clock. The sidelines were quite as we watched the seconds

tick away. And then all of the sudden, our defensive mid

fielder Ozzie Long picked off a pass, ran down the field

and passed to Alex Rohrbach who put the ball in the net.

With no time to spare, we won the faceoff and scored

again with only a minute left on the clock. You could feel

the energy rising as everyone thinking

comeback, comeback. And that’s

exactly what happened, we won the

final faceoff and came down to score

the game winning goal with only 4

seconds left on the clock. This was one

of the craziest comebacks I have ever

seen in my life, but we couldn’t

celebrate for long because we had to

start preparing for the championship

game the next day.

As luck would have it, we matched up

against Western University

who had the #1 defense in the

country. The exact opposite

type of opponent than the one we just played. Another

night of scouting and strategizing and by the fourth

quarter we found ourselves in the exact same situation as

the day before. It was 6-4 with under 1 minute left to play,

but this time we were winning and there was no way this

defensive team was going to be able to muster the offense

to come back. That is until someone screamed from our

bench and we got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

With the man advantage Western somehow managed to

score 2 goals in the final 25 seconds to send it to overtime.

Figure credit: http://toys.phillipmartin.info/toys_lacrosse.htm



MASTERSMASTERSMASTERSMASTERS ININININ ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONWith the game on the line we battled it out with Western

until we got the ball with 30 seconds left in the second

overtime. With time running out, our star midfielder

Jishan Sharples drove from behind the net, drew the

double team, rolled and scored the championship winning

goal. As soon as the clock hit zero, everyone rushed onto

the field and we hoisted the Baggataway Cup into the air.

We were now part of the very elite few that can call

themselves national champions.

As I look back on this amazing season, I can’t help but

thank head coach Tim Murdoch for giving me my chance

to coach and for being the steadfast leader that the team

needed, Sean Steinwald for being the offensive

mastermind that led us to victory, all of the trainers that

kept our team healthy, and of course all of the players who

poured their heart and soul into this team and never gave

up when the game was on the line. They will remember

this season for the rest of their lives and they will go down

in history as the 2012 Canadian national lacrosse

champions.

(Received 29th, November 2012)

NewNewNewNew YearYearYearYear DinnerDinnerDinnerDinnerGaétane Ferland

hen I think about memories, it remindsme of my childhood. Those moments

bring me back to my youth. I wanted to sharewith you my memory of the New Year Dinner atmy grand mother’s house. We used to have itevery year until she passed away in 1969.

My grandmother’s New Year dinner is at Isle d‘Orléans,about 20 minutes from Quebec City. I was 16. But I still

remember my parents talking about it, like "what are wegoing to wear?", "who is going?", etc.. Of course thedilemma was the weather. Sometimes there was gustywind with snow that we weren't confident to make it. Wewere going with my uncle Jean-Baptiste who would bedriving. Despite the poor weather, we never missed onenew year dinner, except when we had the chicken pox.

People arrived one or two families at the time; parents,children, boyfriends, and girlfriends. In 1969 the last yearthere were 60 people, who piled up their coats, hats, andmittens on my uncle’s bed (What fun it was to find ourcoats when we were leaving!) Then we took ours seats atfew long tables, adults and children together. I rememberthat I was trying to eat olives while I did not like them,because I wanted to like them! It was an obsession at thetime. After a few years of trying I finally started to acceptthem, today I can say that I am totally okay with them.Our new year dinner's menu was chicken, ham,sandwiches and of course sugar, apple-pies and fruits.

Time for post-dinner dancing! My uncle Jean-Paul wasplaying accordion by ear, and my aunt Rita, violin.Children were playing and running in the house, going up-and down-stairs and jumping on the beds. We kept thoseprecious moments. I missed a lot those gatherings alltogether. We embrace those memories, because they don’tcome back. We had to unfortunately stop our big-familystyled new year's dinner after 1969, until things changed

in 2006, when a cousin of mine decided tosummon everybody to his place. We had so muchfun while re-connected us after all those years.Three years ago I invited my cousins for a familyreunion in the summer, we had lunch and sharedour moments in our life.

This is our way of keeping in touch with ourfamily! For me it is a good way to keep our

relationship alive and I'm happy that we have thistradition.

(Received 13th, January 2013; Revised 1st, February 2013)

W




MemoriesMemoriesMemoriesMemories andandandand Pictures!Pictures!Pictures!Pictures!

Armita Dehmoobadsharifabadi

few days ago, I was sitting beside my father and decided to grab an album and have a look at them for，perhaps

the 100th time, and then my memories revived!A

to go back and hug them but I was not allowed to go out of the line. I kept crying the whole day at school until a

lady with a camera came and asked me to stop crying and put a smile for the picture. That was the only moment

on my first day of school that I smiled!

I got my first bike that day after

my father came back from work

and decided to ride it at home!

I was crying the whole day standing in line to go to class

but my look was on my mom and dad all the time, who

were standing beside the exit door of the school. I wanted

My three cute ducks! I remembered, that

was my first time raising baby ducks.

From left to right: Muny, Huny, Sally. The

picture was taken in late July.




PerspectivePerspectivePerspectivePerspectiveEliseEliseEliseElise FrymlFrymlFrymlFryml

all dark trees surroundan old, abandoned

cottage buried within a darkforest that hides its secretswell. An old man slowlyopens the whitewashed gatein front of his home. He isgoing for a walk. It isevening, the sun is setting,and he wants a breath offresh air.

He has white hair, a symbol of wisdom accumulated overthe years. He has a slight stoop, a sign of vulnerability.His hands shake, he is easily confused.

He leaves behind his house, all that he has known foryears. The house where his wife quietly passed away. Thehouse that his children have long ago left. The house thateven the birds have abandoned because it is so forlorn. Hehas no neighbours, no one lives within walking distance.He has never learned to drive and has long forgotten howto ride a bicycle.

The old man leaves his cottage, knowing he is leavingbehind all that is familiar. He knows exactly how to pumpthe stubborn old well so that he fills exactly two buckets.He has filled all the holes in his roof with packed straw tokeep out the cold. His old rocking chair by the fire is worndown from years of contemplation and rocking, rockingback and forth.

As the old man closes the gate, he notices, for the firsttime in many years, a cardinal, bright red against the starkpine green of the forest. He smiles sadly to himself as thebird opens its wings and takes flight.

Darkness settles over the forest, and the old man's visionbegins to blur as he loses sight of the familiar area aroundhis cottage. He walks on, into the darkness, along a roughdirt path. The darkness engulfs him, grips him.

Suddenly the old man can feel the darkness of the forestweighing on him. It is a tangible weight, a real burden thathe knows he has carried around for years, ever sinceloneliness set in. He recognizes the weight of the darknessas the same darkness that inhabits him. He has never fullyunderstood it, brushed it off and chalked it up to sadnesscaused by his wife's passing and his children'sabandonment.

He walks on, knowing now where he is headed. Hestumbles along blindly, trying to keep his footing alongthe winding path overgrown by tree roots that try to bringhim down.

Eventually, the trees start to thin out. The green blacknessbecomes a deep blue dotted with tiny pinpoints of light.The old man knows in that moment that he has arrived athis destination. The end of the path. There is nowhere elseto go. He stares up at the sky and contemplates the serenebeauty before him. He has only rarely ventured away fromhome. And never this far. He has never seen a morebreath-taking tableau. Has never been privy to secretshidden well within the inky darkness of the night.

Slowly, the old man tilts his head downward, to the vastopen space beyond his feet. He stands on the very edge ofa cliff. He has left his familiar bubble, and somehow hisfeet have brought him to this point. He can see a vastworld. He understands what openness feels like. He smilesinwardly, and the happiness spreads through him andeventually blossoms on his lips. As he realizes the feelingcomes from within himself, he can't contain it anymore,can't control it.

He looks down at his feet, and sees them hesitating.Within him, he feels peace spreading into his toes. Hesteps forward, decidedly, confidently. He has lost all fear.He is ready to fall into the open space and truly experienceit. His feet propel him into the blueness of the night,

T



MASTERSMASTERSMASTERSMASTERS ININININ ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONtowards the pinpoints of light. He feels himself fallingthrough the blackness. Suddenly, he is no longer falling.He is flying.

(This is a speech script. Elise Frymal delivered it on 8th,January 2013 to the club.)

What toastmasters did to me

Feng Zimin

hen a strange name "toastmasters" looms in front

of you, what would think? when a friend of mine

mentioned that club to me the first thing

I had in mind is "What's that? Something

that masters toast? Why would a public

speaking club have that kind of

names?!" Then I just left it alone,

thinking it to be a collection of weirdoes.

Then two months later, when i had to

give presentations at school, i found

myself having serious problems

speaking in front of audience. I just have

to tell them what i had done in my

project. I'm the expert of what I did. I

know it better than anyone else. But when they listened

attentively to me, watching me with warm expectations,

everything that I had in mind promptly gets blown away.

Why am i putting on that figure? I've no idea. The best

thing I could do is to read the text that I wrote on the

slides for the whole 30 minutes. I felt awful about it. And

as if fate was teasing me, upon the routine applause

signaling the end of the presentation, things started to

come back to my mind.

I need a change.

Okay, but what exactly do I need? Do I have the step by

step instructions that I can blindly follow? Doing a google

search of "how to become a better speaker" gave me over

100 million hits. Going through a few of them, I found

one thing that is mentioned over and over again by all of

the "instructions" - practice. They say public speaking is a

feat that can be obtained by continuous practice done in

repetition, repetition, repetition. It's nothing like that split

second that made Aristotle shout "I got it!"; it's more like

carving a sculpture, you just have to chisel out the perfect

surface debris by debris, day by day.

So how can I practice public speaking without offending

my audience? Fortunately when I was

thinking about this there wasn't attentive

gazing from anyone, so my brain worked -

didn't my friend mention to me that

collection of weirdoes? They must not

mind having another weirdo there, why

don't I go check it out?

So here I am! Guess what? This is one of

the best decisions I’ve ever made! To put

it simply, a year ago I couldn’t think or

speak when other people are listening;

now I can speak, and sometimes I can

even think as well!

Viewed in retrospect, I believe there are a few reasons

why it helped me this much.

Firstly,Firstly,Firstly,Firstly, thisthisthisthis clubclubclubclub demonstrateddemonstrateddemonstrateddemonstrated totototo memememe thatthatthatthat I'mI'mI'mI'm notnotnotnot thethethethe

onlyonlyonlyonly oneoneoneone whowhowhowho hashashashas problemsproblemsproblemsproblems inininin publicpublicpublicpublic speaking.speaking.speaking.speaking. (I'm(I'm(I'm(I'm

seriousseriousseriousserious!!!! CheckCheckCheckCheck outoutoutout thethethethe otherotherotherother members!members!members!members!)))) There are so

W



MASTERSMASTERSMASTERSMASTERS ININININ ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONmany of us and I'm not alone! I have problems not

because I’m strange; I have problems because I’m

supposed to be one of the toastmasters! Understanding

this made me feel a lot more comfortable and confident.

You know how important this is for learning anything!

Moreover,Moreover,Moreover,Moreover, whenwhenwhenwhen youyouyouyou placeplaceplaceplace yourselfyourselfyourselfyourself intointointointo thisthisthisthis lovelylovelylovelylovely

environmentenvironmentenvironmentenvironment wherewherewherewhere everybodyeverybodyeverybodyeverybody isisisis workingworkingworkingworking onononon betterbetterbetterbetter

speeches,speeches,speeches,speeches, youyouyouyou feelfeelfeelfeel motivatedmotivatedmotivatedmotivated andandandand encouraged.encouraged.encouraged.encouraged. At every

meeting, you see your fellow toastmasters delivering

speeches, chairing sessions, making announcements,

keeping talking, etc. somehow they became the most

effective and influential instructors. You must have this

feeling as well, that three weeks of reading instructions on

the books saves you one day with a role model. Filled

with so many great people who have problems,

“toastmasters” is essentially illustrating what you can do

in order to be a better speaker. So much more efficient

than opening the webpages on a computer screen and

reading those cheesy tips!

TheTheTheThe third,third,third,third, andandandand actuallyactuallyactuallyactually thethethethe greatestgreatestgreatestgreatest thingthingthingthing thatthatthatthat

““““toastmasterstoastmasterstoastmasterstoastmasters”””” everevereverever doesdoesdoesdoes totototo memememe isisisis thatthatthatthat itititit pushespushespushespushes me.me.me.me.We

understand that becoming a better speaker requires

persistent efforts, which may or may not be easy. When I

make my plans, I tend to overestimate my diligence. And

once I publicize my plans by signing up for the speeches,

it feels like I’m making a promise. Cancel an appointment

just because I’m feeling lazy? Hmm, couldn’t very well

do that… so I’m usually forced to carry out my ambitious

plans, as if I was really that diligent.

Practice, practice and practice. “Toastmasters” is

providing me with one of the most important aspects of

gaining progress. It doesn’t intensify your personality, but

helps you express yourself more easily. It doesn’t increase

your knowledge, but helps you sharing it once you have

any. In the combat of wining your audience, it doesn’t

supply new guns to your infantries, but it greases the guns

you already have and keeps them in the best condition at

all times!

With over a year of experience in this club, now I kind ofhave a little sense of why this club is called “toastmasters”.A “toast” is an act of celebration. So perhaps the name“toastmasters” is a wish for the people to be are good atgaining things that are worth the celebrations.

(This is a speech script. Feng Zimin delivered it on 6th,February to a communication class of a continuededucation program.)

SaharSaharSaharSahar’’’’ssss sketchingsketchingsketchingsketching

Sahar Sajadi

ho are they in the sketches? Find the answers inthis issue!

(only the blue figures count)

W




Sweet memories from the

sweet first experiences

Mehrnoosh Azodi

ver since I moved to Montreal to start a PhD two

years ago my whole life here, half across the world

from home land has been flourished with most peculiar

and remarkable memories. One day before the New Year

in 2011 when I landed in Montreal, I was baffled, dizzy of

the long trip and surprisingly

excited. But I had no idea this city

would turn into the city of my first

experiences and the half

sweet-half bitter memories by

them. Everything and everything

here from building an independent

life, living on a graduate award as

my first actual official payment,

education and research, my first toastmasters meeting and

the first official speech, to meeting and making the most

valuable and occasionally oddest friendships with

amazing people from all around the world turn to fantastic

memories from the fantastic first experiences.

I remember it was late February and I was counting days

for my birthday on March first. Not that I had any especial

event planned for it. No! It was just one of those odd

excitements you feel when you're approaching a somehow

occasionally different days of your life. Weirdly enough a

friend of mine who used to be my office mate too,

frequently asked me what's my plan for Bday. I replied

with the same sentence every single

time; " I do not have any plan to

celebrate it in any especial or casual

way possible this year." And every

single time he nodded and shortly

said; "OK". First of March was there

and strangely I didn't see very much

of him during morning until noon

when I went to cafeteria for lunch.

Like any other lunch time I found myself busy eating and

mingling with people at the table. Somewhat had forgotten

E

WelcomeWelcomeWelcomeWelcome newnewnewnewmembers!members!members!members!

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CindyCindyCindyCindyHuangHuangHuangHuang AkmalAkmalAkmalAkmalHaidarHaidarHaidarHaidar

SebatienSebatienSebatienSebatien SalorSalorSalorSalor ZoffirathZoffirathZoffirathZoffirath DissouDissouDissouDissou

ElahehElahehElahehElaheh BosBosBosBos YasminaYasminaYasminaYasminaMaiziMaiziMaiziMaizi

NickNickNickNickMargieMargieMargieMargie BrendaBrendaBrendaBrenda LamLamLamLam

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JamesJamesJamesJamesWenWenWenWen**** MariaMariaMariaMaria AghakianAghakianAghakianAghakian****

****:::: returningreturningreturningreturningmembersmembersmembersmembers



MASTERSMASTERSMASTERSMASTERS ININININ ACTIONACTIONACTIONACTIONabout my birthday although the Facebook notifications

kept reminding me throughout the morning. All of sudden

I heard an electronic birthday song from the behind, then

the uneven voice of a group of people singing along with

it and within a few seconds a cute birthday cake that was

put right in front of me on the table by the same

curious-about-bday-plans friend of mine. I was totally

surprised. A few friends and he had spent the night before

to bake three birthday cakes for me. Upon the glance at

the cakes and singing friends, I burst into laughters.

Excited, and cherished by all the kindness and friendship I

had received. After all that was the first surprise birthday

party I ever had and that day turned into one of the

sweetest memories of my life in Montreal.

Fabulous our memories from our very first experiences

are, they have been and would carry on tasting different,

being different. They feel like a little kid forming their

very first touch of every usual or unusual thing in this

universe. The smell and taste is more intense, it's bare and

unknown. It's like exploring an unknown world. Maybe

our first memories from our first experiences essentially

neither have special meaning, nor are they meaningless.

They are as they are, but something noticeable is different

about them, they stand out of our daily life.

My new life in this city have taught me, for a day to be

memorable no big reasons are needed, and for a year to be

memorable what is better than a collection of memorable

days which are simply and easily have been put together

by ourselves.

(Received 15th, January; revision received 3th, February)

22222222ndndndnd,,,, JanuaryJanuaryJanuaryJanuary 2013201320132013 InductionInductionInductionInduction CeremonyCeremonyCeremonyCeremony

---- NewNewNewNew members,members,members,members, wouldwouldwouldwouldyouyouyouyou commitcommitcommitcommit totototo McGillMcGillMcGillMcGillToastmasters?Toastmasters?Toastmasters?Toastmasters?

---- WeWeWeWe dodododo!!!!




---- Everybody,Everybody,Everybody,Everybody,wouldwouldwouldwould youyouyouyouhelphelphelphelp thethethethe newnewnewnewmembers?members?members?members?

---- WeWeWeWe do!do!do!do!

22222222ndndndnd,,,, JanuaryJanuaryJanuaryJanuary 2013201320132013 InductionInductionInductionInduction CeremonyCeremonyCeremonyCeremony (cont.)(cont.)(cont.)(cont.)




22222222ndndndnd,,,, JanuaryJanuaryJanuaryJanuary 2013201320132013 InductionInductionInductionInduction CeremonyCeremonyCeremonyCeremony (cont.)(cont.)(cont.)(cont.)

Welcome

our new

members!




WeWeWeWe areareareare herehereherehere totototo serveserveserveserve you!you!you!you!PresidentPresidentPresidentPresident MarziehMarziehMarziehMarzieh GhiasiGhiasiGhiasiGhiasi

VPVPVPVP EducationEducationEducationEducation EliseEliseEliseElise FrymlFrymlFrymlFryml

VPVPVPVPMentorshipMentorshipMentorshipMentorship DianaDianaDianaDiana ChepteneChepteneChepteneCheptene

VPVPVPVP LeadershipLeadershipLeadershipLeadership KellyKellyKellyKelly BarbosaBarbosaBarbosaBarbosa

VPVPVPVP PublicPublicPublicPublic RelationsRelationsRelationsRelations FengFengFengFeng ZiminZiminZiminZimin

ImmediateImmediateImmediateImmediate PastPastPastPast

PresidentPresidentPresidentPresident

SaifSaifSaifSaif MelhemMelhemMelhemMelhem

SecretarySecretarySecretarySecretary GeorgeGeorgeGeorgeGeorge TabahTabahTabahTabah

Sergeant-at-ArmSergeant-at-ArmSergeant-at-ArmSergeant-at-Arm GaGaGaGaéééétanetanetanetane FerlandFerlandFerlandFerland &&&& JohnnyJohnnyJohnnyJohnny CheungCheungCheungCheung

TreasurerTreasurerTreasurerTreasurer LilaLilaLilaLila MaldeMaldeMaldeMalde &&&& JohnJohnJohnJohn DDDD’’’’AgataAgataAgataAgata

VPVPVPVPMembershipMembershipMembershipMembership AngelaAngelaAngelaAngela HeHeHeHe &&&&MehrnooshMehrnooshMehrnooshMehrnoosh AzodiAzodiAzodiAzodi

WebmasterWebmasterWebmasterWebmaster IvanIvanIvanIvanMurciaMurciaMurciaMurcia

WhatWhatWhatWhat //// When?When?When?When?The McGill Toastmasters ClubNewsletter is published severaltimes per year in order to helpencourage and document our cluband its members. Everyone isencouraged to participate!

WeWeWeWe wantwantwantwant totototo hearhearhearhear fromfromfromfrom you!you!you!you!Any comments or suggestions forimprovement are greatly appreciated. Youcan contact the newsletter editor atpublicrelationspublicrelationspublicrelationspublicrelations@[email protected]@[email protected].

McGillMcGillMcGillMcGill ToastmastersToastmastersToastmastersToastmasters ClubClubClubClub688 Sherbrooke Street West

Room 1559 (15th floor)

Montreal, Quebec H3A 3R1

In Sahar’s sketches: Armita (1st panel); Louise-Veronique

(2nd panel-left) and Marcia (2nd panel-right).

Documents

Master in Action, Voume 10, Issue 1