Humdinger Sep 2021

NEWSLETTER VOL V | ISSUE 1 | SEP 2021

HUMOROIDS TOASTMASTERS CLUB AREA 41 | DIVISION H | DISTRICT 105

VOL V | ISSUE 1 | SEP 2021

INSIDE

Page From the Editor’s Desk:

3

TM Nadil Kareem Message from District 105 PQD:

4

Rania Abul-Rub, DTM Message from Club President:

5

Shannon Glasgow ACB ALB Leadership

6

Full Proof Weight Reducing Plan:

7

TM Nisha Gupta Self Motivation:

9

Nishad Palamullathil, LD2 A Penny for Your Thoughts:

11

Shannon Glasgow, ACB ALB And Hope Says Just One More Day:

13

Shuchita Udas, CC CL Engagement Is Key:

14

Devlal Sahadevan, DTM New Faces

15

Achievements & Recognitions

16

Meeting Flyers

18

Photo album

21

Publisher: Shannon Glasgow, ACB ALB Editor: TM Nadil Kareem Design & Layout: Devlal Sahadevan, DTM

2

TM Nadil Kareem | VPPR, Humoroids

Dear Humoridians, It has been a great pleasure to take over the responsibility of VPPR and thereby the editorship of the newsletter "Humdinger" published by Humoroids Toastmaster club, Abu Dhabi.

My first year as a Humoroidian made me realize that Toastmasters is not about public speaking alone. It is also about facing my fears, learning & empowering to communicate effectively. Humoroids Toastmasters is an amazing family where every member is a great support to each other. In spite of these challenging times, our club continues to thrive, thanks to its much talented members!

This edition of Humdinger is enriched with interesting articles from our members and some great moments from the three months that has passed.

I wholeheartedly thank all Humoroids toastmasters for their valuable contributions to this newsletter. A special token of gratitude to DTM Devlal for his immense support in designing this edition of Humdinger.

Your valuable thoughts and suggestions about this newsletter are highly appreciated to make future releases more impactful and we are expecting your best support for the future club engagements.

Happy Reading!

TM Nadil Kareem is the VPPR of Humoroids Toastmasters and an IT professional. He is passionate about traveling, trekking, camping and learning history. He is also a fitness enthusiast.

3

Rania Abul-Rub, DTM Program Quality Director District 105

“A journey is best measured in friends rather than in miles”

My dear friends and leaders of Humoroids Toastmasters club, regards from Jordan and many thanks for giving me the opportunity not only to be a part of your newsletter, but to be a part of your fantastic meetings and amazing family.

A journey is best measured in friends rather than in miles… a quote that aptly fits your club in every sense of the word. You are soon to celebrate your 10th year anniversary, a milestone that reflects days, weeks, months and years of commitment, dedication, and glorious moments but most importantly priceless friendships that you have developed over the years.

This new norm that has been imposed on us, which has introduced us to the new “online” reality has been a blessing for me on a personal level, as it has given me a platform and an opportunity to know you more and interact with your club members throughout the several meetings I have attended ever since the lockdown.

As a guest I have always sensed the camaraderie and friendly atmosphere within your club and among your members even across a computer screen. Such a rich nurturing environment is what makes clubs and members flourish and grow.

What makes a club outstanding is never the dashboard scores, but the club’s effort in taking care of its members and prioritizing their needs. When this is achieved, everything else falls in place as the members feel empowered to learn and grow, yet contribute to the success and prosperity of the club, year after year.

This has been your strength over the past ten years that has made your club one of the best clubs within the entire District.

Keep on taking care of your members like you have always done, keep on the brilliant work and sustaining your own unique culture within your club that will nurture and groom more leaders to carry on the torch of success for years to come.

Wishing you everlasting growth and prosperity, and stay blessed.

Rania has been a Toastmaster since 2005 and has served the District in various positions such as Arabic Lead Reviewer for TMI, Pathways Ambassador etc. A Hearing specialist and a Business partner since many years, she calls Jordan her home.

4

Shannon Glasgow, ACB ALB

“For better speaking, for better listening, for better thinking, we learn by doing”

When I was a member of the Riyadh Toastmasters Club, we began each meeting with the same inspirational mantra: “For better speaking, for better listening, for better thinking, we learn by doing,” followed by a clapping of hands. With these words and this energy, members emphasized that their communication and leadership skills development required active commitment and positive reinforcement.

How often has someone seeking to learn more about Toastmasters asked you about the “class”, “teachers” and “exams” in Toastmasters clubs?

The response I typically give often results in some awkward moments of silence because it doesn’t mesh with the conditioned mindset that some people have about education, learning and personal development.

My response goes something like this: In Toastmasters, we’re all students and we’re all teachers. We all have strengths that can see us reach new heights as well as help pull up fellow club members so that they, too, can reach their highest potential.

We all also have areas for improvement that we are made aware of through friendly, constructive feedback so that we, ourselves, can reach out highest potential.

The only exams we have are the ones we set for ourselves to measure our growth in being able to communicate and lead more effectively and more impact fully. The key to passing these self-exams is easy: to learn by doing.

Shannon Glasgow is a Senior Instructor and College of Arts and Sciences Coordinator for the Al Ain Campus of Abu Dhabi University. He is interested in Alternative medicine, Alternative housing, traveling and history.

5

MEET THE LEADERS, 2021-22

District 105 Director Gurbinder Singh Punn, DTM

Division H Director Rizvi Ahmed, DTM

Area 41 Director Balamurali P V, ACG ALB

6

Overeating struggles are often a vicious cycle – a hamster wheel behavior that just seems to go round and round and get worse with each revolution.

You have probably seen the promise before , "Eat all your favorite dishes and lose weight." The skeptic in you thinks, “Are you kidding me?”

Eating all my favorite dishes is how I gained weight in the first place. But this time, it's for real. This plan features famous favorites, as well as swaps in case you prefer other indulgences.

My childhood was filled with lots of crazy, funny, wacky moments.

I have been struggling with overeating from the day I learned to feed myself. My mom’s favorite dialogues were, “Don't eat any more! You’ve had enough. Get some exercise. You look like a bean bag with lips.

Don’t even think about ordering a pizza”, etc.

If you were asked a table topic of everything you think you should, could or might do to take control of your overeating or emotional eating, I bet you could fill a few lines or perhaps a few pages. We have all heard more advice about healthy eating than we can possibly digest. But there is one key strategy that most people completely miss. And it is too bad, because when applied correctly, this one strategy not only helps curb overeating, it makes just about everything better.

Overeating struggles are often a vicious cycle; a hamster wheel behavior that just seems to go round and round and get worse with each revolution.

Full proof weight reducing plan TM Nisha Gupta

The cycle isn’t always the same, but it might look something like this: stress eating, exhaustion, guilt and shame. The solution is the same food to feel better. Feeling horrible after a terrible day at work, being too busy to figure out a different solution, I indulge in a huge tub of ice cream or eat that mega size bar of chocolate because it is there.

I have learned some things along the way.

One time when I was 12 or 13 years old.

My mum prepared a very delicious meal.

My favorite , rajma chawal, By the time the food was ready that night I had already salivated enough to fill a 10 liter bucket.

I jumped on the plate and literally devoured the mountain of rajma chawal in seconds.

7

In fact, I had already eaten the food a 100 times over by just perceiving the aroma emanating from the kitchen.

Finally, it was ready.

I didn't wait for any invitation when mom placed my plate on the dining table.

I was served rajma chawal, topped with desi ghee . It sure was a generous topping. Chopped onions, green chilies and mango pickle was served alongside and it was without doubt one of the best rajma chawal platters I ever had. Probably childhood is the only time when we indulge like this.

I rushed my head over to the corner of the bed and in a minute emptied the contents of my stomach; food which I had spent over 2 hours shoveling into my mouth rushed out like a dormant volcano that had suddenly become alive.

That was the day I learnt my first nasty lesson about food. It might be good but too much of it is always bad.

So here is the tip for all who want to reduce some inches or some pounds! Indulge yourself in overeating the meal which is your weakness and you really want to strike that off, Fully or Partially from your diet.

I jumped on the plate and literally devoured the mountain of Rajma chawal in seconds.

Like Oliver Twist, I could not wait to ask for another plate.

My tummy was swollen. I was full to the brim but I could not resist eating another plate.

Mum gladly served me another plate. She was more than happy that I was eating the same food twice.

I ate it all. This time I took my time.

By now my tummy was threatening to explode and could easily be mistaken to have a set of twins within.

But I refused to stop, I wanted more and more and more. And rejected my mom’s favorite dialogue, “Enough, you had enough. If you eat even one more grain of rice, you will burst like a balloon”.

Greed had the better of me.

I sneaked into the kitchen like a thief in the middle of the night and got another plate.

15 minutes later I could hardly breathe.

My stomach was developing cramps and felt like it would explode in all directions.

I slowly crawled to my room like a python would after swallowing a hippopotamus.

I could not sleep the whole night, tossing and turning all over like a ball being kicked around by angry soccer players.

Suddenly, around 2 am, I could not take it anymore.

My stomach could not too.

Before I knew it, I felt like throwing up.

Nisha Gupta is a Physics teacher and loves talking, trying different cuisines and dancing.

8

Self motivation Nishad Palamullathil, LD2

“If you believe you can do it, you have self-efficacy”

The best kind of motivation is selfmotivation.

To demonstrate this point, let us consider two scenarios you have likely experienced: You have something you have to do.

You are not excited or passionate about it, but you know you need to get it done. This feeling of obligation motivates you to work hard to complete the task



You have something you get to do.

You are interested in your task. You might have even assigned this task for yourself rather than receiving it from someone else and you are happy to put in the time and effort to complete it.



In which scenario are you more effective?

In which scenario are you more efficient? And, in which scenario do you feel the most fulfilled?

I am willing to bet that your answer to each of those questions is Scenario 2.

It likely won’t come as a surprise that doing something for its own sake and for your own purposes is likely to be more fulfilling, enjoyable, and successful than doing something to meet external standards or to please others.

The feeling described in Scenario 2 is that of being self -motivated. Read on to learn more about selfmotivation and why it’s the most effective kind of motivation.

“Self-motivation is, in its simplest form, the force that drives you to do things”

It is the drive you have to work toward your goals, to put effort into self-development, and to achieve personal fulfillment.

Self-motivation is all about where your drive comes from.

If your motivation comes from within and pushes you to achieve for your own personal reasons, it can be considered self-motivation.

If you are only motivated to achieve standards set by someone else and not for your own internal satisfaction, you are probably not self-motivated.

There are three questions you can use to determine whether you (or someone in your life) is self-motivated: 1. Can you do it?

2. Will it work?

3. Is it worth it?

9

If you answered “yes” to each question, you are likely self-motivated.

If you believe you can do it, you have self-efficacy. If you believe it will work, you have response efficacy belief that the action you are taking will lead to the outcome you want. And if you believe it is worth it, you have weighed the cost against the consequences and decided the consequences outweigh the cost (Geller, 2016).

Speaking of consequences, Geller considers “consequences” to be one of four vital “C” words that underpin self-motivation: 

Consequences: To be self-motivated, you sincerely have to want the consequences associated with the actions you take rather than simply doing something to avoid negative consequences



Competence: If you answer all three of the questions above with a “yes”, you will feel competent in your ability to get things done



Choice: Having a sense of autonomy over your actions encourages self-motivation



Community: Having social support and connections with others is critical for feeling motivated and believing in yourself and your power to achieve (Geller, 2016)

Believing that you can do it, that it will work, and that it is worth it will drive you to match the internal standards you set for yourself.

Nishad Palamullathil works for an Insurance company as an Underwriter in the Motor department. He is passionate about self development, building relations and learning new things. He is also the VP Membership of Humoroids.

10

A Penny For Your Thoughts Shannon Glasgow, ACB ALB

One day this past summer when I was back home in the US. I took off my tennis shoes and threw them on the floor next to my black work shoes. As they hit the carpet, there was a slight clinking sound. Of course, I knew why there was a sound like this coming from my shoes, but I didn’t know why there should be a clinking sound in the first place.

Do you have any habits or rituals that you routinely do without questioning them? For me, whenever I find a coin, I put it in my shoe. I don’t ask questions. I just do it. Slip it right in the top of my shoe and then wiggle my foot a bit so that the coin reaches a comfortable position. Usually it’s a copper penny, but this summer I also found a quarter, which is worth slightly less than one UAE dirham. I was wearing my black work shoes when I found that treasure, so that’s where it is until now.

So why the clinking sound? You see, those coins usually stay in my shoes a while. Maybe weeks.

Perhaps months. And since I often look down when I walk in parking lots, where most of these beauties have been left for people like me to find, my eyes tend to focus like a hawk. That means one penny is often joined by another. This summer, I found more than 12 pennies, so you can imagine the clinking sound when the shoe hit the floor and turned over.

If we were having face to face meetings now and a fellow Toastmaster said he / she didn’t believe I put coins in my shoe, I would proudly show them (provided I was sure I didn’t have any holes in my socks) the evidence. Now, each of my tennis shoes is down to one penny each, while only my right work shoe has a quarter. Where did the coins go? No, I wasn’t at a check out counter at a store, discovering that I was short of change in my pocket.

“Excuse me, ma’am. I think I’ve got a few extra cents in my left shoe.” I don’t think that would go over very well.

I usually reach a point where I tell some of the coins; “Right, you’ve been in there long enough. Out you come back to civilization”, and I put the coin with the other spendable pieces of metal. But not all of them.

Some lucky ones usually get to travel kilometers and kilometers in the sole of my shoes for days or months.

“Just because a behavior isn’t logical doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue doing it” 11

This particular day, as I took my shoes off, I became curious as to why I displayed this kind of peculiar behavior, so I decided to visit Mother Google. To my amazement, I discovered that there was actually some sayings about picking up pennies and putting them in shoes: See a penny, pick it up, all day long you will have good luck. 

Find a penny, pick it up, all the day you will have good luck. Find a penny leave it there, all the day you will have despair.



Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you will have good luck. Put the penny in your shoe, and good luck will come to you.



Find a penny, pick it up, all day long, you will have good luck. Give it to a faithful friend; then your luck will never end.



Find a penny, pick it up, all day long, you will have good luck. Find a penny, let it lie, you will need a penny before you die.

Not only that, but I also discovered with the help of Mother Google that fate could be affected by whether a person finds the penny heads up or tails up. Now I realize that I shouldn’t have put all those pennies in my shoes all those years. If I had focused only on the heads up ones, I could have had better luck. I also learned that some believe that money contains invisible energy passed between the previous owner and the next person who finds the coin. That means that all these years, powers I wasn’t even aware of were actually being transferred to me. Little did I know.

Had I ever heard of these sayings or superstitions before, perhaps when I was young? Who knows? Am I going to stop putting coins in my shoes? No way! Just because a behavior isn’t logical doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue doing it. Don’t want to tempt fate, after all.

12

37 years wrongly incarcerated for someone else’s crime..

37 years of imposed guilt.

37 years lost in a single lifetime.

And Hope Says Just One More Day! Shuchita Udas, CC CL

“I survived because I didn’t let my mind go to prison”, he said.

This is the story of Archie Williams; a contestant on America’s Got Talent. Blessed with an incredible voice and more incredible story, he gave Hope a whole new meaning.

On 9 December 1982, a woman was attacked and molested. Archie was wrongly incarcerated in spite of weak evidence and 3 people testifying to his innocence. With no hope for probation or parole a young man of 22 years of age was at a dead end.

Days turned into weeks to months to years and into decades. Thrown into the abysmal recesses of despair he clung on to his belief, in his innocence. Finally in 2019 , after DNA testing, he was acquitted.

Archie’s story is about courage, hope and perseverance. In one of his interviews he said Hope became his spirituality!! And that shone Hope in a veritable new dimension.

Adversities and challenges are but a given in life. And we have heard infinite tales about how they were overcome; some told and some untold. But seldom do we focus on the change these adversities instill in each of us. Majority carry shards of negativity, of remorse, resentment and even vengeance.

Interestingly Archie’s apparent sanguine temperament reflects not only his gratitude but also his acceptance which borders on unconditional forgiveness. His indomitable spirit comes forth in his willingness to fight for fellow innocents incarcerated wrongly.

The question is, as we navigate through the racist, sexist unjust chaos of the world today, is unconditional love and forgiveness even possible?

The answer is yes; if we believe in it. Hope says just one more day!!

Shuchita is a Financial Consultant by profession and passionate about leading an exuberant life. She likes reading, toastmastering, traveling and trying different cuisines. Shuchita is currently serving District 105 as its Logistics manager.

13

Engagement is Key Devlal Sahadevan, DTM

When my science teacher explained the human digestive system with a fairly neat diagram drawn on the black board, we were engrossed. It was fascinating!

She had this special way of retaining our attention.

I decided to become a teacher when I was in 7th grade because I wanted to be like her.

35 years ago a teacher didn’t have the tools that we have at our disposal today. In spite of that, some of those teachers were amazing, because they were engaging. As I listened to the Trainer in front of me reading out the content from another slide, I realized how drastically different was he from my good old Science teacher. The trainer didn’t know one important thing.

Engagement is key!

Sometimes toastmasters assume that being a good speaker is the same as being a good Trainer. We do have some great skills that we gained through our Toastmasters experience that we can put to good use while delivering training. However, that is only part of the skill set.

If you are a trainer, you have to remember these:  You should ask this question before you start; “What is

the point of saying this!” If it isn’t relevant to your trainees, chuck it.

 Clarity is a big deal. If you don’t make any sense,

nobody gets engaged. Avoid jargons. If it is too technical, use simple examples to illustrate.

 Break the content into digestible chunks. Less is more.

Resist the temptation to share everything you know about the topic.

 Challenge them. Prod, tease. Let them disagree,

He wore a tailored suit.

He had a great personality, spoke eloquently and never left the lectern. As the training session went past 20 minutes, I found myself searching for my smart phone. I stole a glance at my co-attendees. Two sat with their eyes closed and I wasn’t the only one who was fiddling with the phone.

The trainer asked us to look at the PowerPoint presentation. “It contained 2 paragraphs of vital information”, he added.

This made me recall my school days when the teaching aid was a black board and pieces of white chalk.

welcome a debate. Share stories. They have no age barrier. Get responses. The quite cooperation you receive in a training room is not real engagement.

 Prepare for some confusion. Have examples ready for

demonstration, application.

 Be enthusiastic, radiate that energy. Crack a joke! Ralph

Smedley, the founder of Toastmasters said it right; “We learn best in moments of enjoyment” Let your next training session be enjoyable and enriching at the same time. If the attendees enjoyed the session as much as you did, you are an exceptional trainer.

Devlal is a Certified trainer and a hospitality management professional. He is also the Founder-President of Humoroids Toastmasters Club

14

NEW FACES

TM Moumita Mukherjee is a Geography teacher and also a trained Bharatanatyam dancer.

TM Chitsimran is a graduate in Computer Science and Engineering. His hobbies include playing table tennis, football and a passion to continuously grow his knowledge sphere.

TM Shihaaz Nilafdeen is a fully qualified management accountant and an associate member of CIMA UK. He is also an author who loves fiction, fantasy and medieval themes.

15

MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS & RECOGNITIONS

Shuchita Udas, CC CL District Logistics Manager, 2021-22 District 105

Hadi Abdulla, LD Area 42 Director, 2021-22 Division H, District 105

TM Nisha Gupta Division Administration Manager, 2021-22 Division H, District 105

16

MEMBER ACHIEVEMENTS & RECOGNITIONS

17

MEETING FLYERS

18

MEETING FLYERS

19

MEETING FLYERS

20

PHOTO ALBUM

21

22

23

24

22 Sep 2021: HUMOROIDS 10TH ANNIVERSARY (HYBRID) MEETING, SYSCOMS COLLEGE, ABU DHABI

25

26

27

CLUB DCP STATUS AS ON SEP 2021

28

NEWSLETTER VOL V | ISSUE 1 | SEP 2021 HUMOROIDS TOASTMASTERS CLUB | AREA 41 | DIVISION H | DISTRICT 105