MillenniumIT Toastmasters' bitz & bytez 2

MillenniumIT Toastmasters’

bitz & bytez Club Newsletter : Volume 01 :: Issue 02

“The sun rises gracefully—inspiring a new beginning. May the new year be as beautiful and exuberant as the rising sun.”

Mi way of life - pg. 6 Retrospective of 2016 - pg. 28

Contents MESSAGES Editorial 3 Message from President

4

Message from VP Education

4

GUEST SPEAKERS

A visit from DTM Ajantha

5

A Champ’s visit

5

EDUCATIONAL Conquering a fear worse than death

8

Photo-toasting competition

9

Stupidity or creativity

10

FEATURED

Mi way of life

6

Speaking 101 – Eliminate crunch words 11

INTERVIEWS Interview with a Mentor

12

BLOGS

Our Humorous Speech Champ

14

Fear the stage...oh really?

15

Christmas is here! 16

MiRROR WALL

Path to a golden life

24

Santa wake up, it’s Christmas!

24

A letter to my beautiful daughter

17

Are you a dinosaur?

18

Are you afraid of the dark?

19

Red pill or blue pill?

20

Embrace the moment

22

Chemo 25 Dreams and desires of a future unknown 26

RETROSPECTIVE

Special meetings

29

Thoughts from our guests

30

Highlights of 2016

31

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MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

Editorial

TM Angelo Indrajith (angeloi@millenniumit.com)

It’s finally here—the holiday season! A season for giving and receiving, eating and drinking, and more eating and drinking! Some of us need to watch out for our fast draining bank balance, for some it’s just another passing cloud, and for some a relaxing time with family. Whichever it may be, we bid adieu to yet another great year.

Hello 2017!

PR team –– Praneeth Peiris (VP PR) –– Kokila Sivaganeshan –– Sampath Ganege –– Mekala Wijemanna –– Ishan Somasiri –– Amodh Jayasinghe

Friends, it’s a great honor and privilege to present the second issue of bitz & bytez.

Article authors –– Angelo Indrajith –– Harshan Senadhira –– Imtiaz Aniff –– Niroshan Dharmakantha –– Numica Perera –– Praneeth Peiris –– Priyantha Cooray –– Ransara Wijethunga –– Sampath Ganage –– Santhushti Liyanawadu –– Shihari Chandrasekara

Don’t we have a treat lined up for you as you scroll/flip through the ensuing pages! From dinosaurs, to fears, to pills, to children, to thoughts of a future unknown, to Christmas; the creativity and excitement in here is paramount.

Here at Toastmasters, where leaders are made, you start by learning to be a student; regardless of which level you stand. At a point in time, this student turns teacher; and then a student again.

This teacher-student seesaw never ends, and Toastmasters International is the epitome of this great partnership.

If you are not part of a Club, do visit us and join in the fun and excitement. We meet every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. See page 30 for more details.

One final thought, if one brick in the Great Wall of China could talk, it would introduce itself as: “I am part of the Great Wall of China”. But stood alone, it wouldn’t say: “I am the great stone of China”. Similarly, if Beethoven’s music notes could talk, they would say: “we are part of some of the greatest masterpieces that’s been written”. But if stood alone, it wouldn’t say: “I am the great crotchet/quaver”. As such, we are not MillenniumIT Toastmasters without each and every one of you! This newsletter wouldn’t be complete without thanking every single one of you; for your support, enthusiasm and creativity.

I salute you all, while wishing you a fabulous 2017!

That’s all from me folks! Read on…

Cover and background image –– Chathurika Lakmali Back cover image –– Sampath Ganege Designer –– Praneeth Peiris Club information: Name

: MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club

Club type

: Corporate

Club number : 05163369 Membership : 52 Area

: E1

Division

:E

District : 82 (Sril Lanka & Tamil Nadu—India)

(http://www.d82.org)

Disclaimer Photographs and Pictorials (“Graphic Material”) - Other than the copyright Graphic Materials owned by Millennium IT Software (Private) Limited all other Graphic Materials are sourced from the Internet and Millennium IT Software (Private) Limited makes no claim or interest for the same. Copyrights of such Graphic Materials rest with the respective owners.

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Message from President TM Malavika Cassiere

In writing this, I have to share my joy to an end of a successful year and also for our MillenniumIT Toastmasters’ second newsletter for the year; published in a span of three months!

To add to my joy, our inaugural newsletter won the Best Newsletter Award in District 82! Kudos to the wonderful and talented team who prepared our winning newsletter and kudos to the current team who pushed us to deliver once again. They truly embody the mission of Toastmasters International; “Empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders”.

Our progress as a club keeps moving forward slowly but steadily; and it is a pleasure to be a part of the enthusiasm shown by our members. At MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club, we strive each day to be better individuals and leaders; aligning ourselves with the values of Toastmasters International—integrity, respect, service and excellence.

Additionally, I wish to personally thank all guest speakers and special invitees who enriched our meetings with their colorful presence this quarter—DTM Ajantha Jayawardena (Program Quality Director for D82), TM Darshana Gunarathne (Area Director) and TM Kaishika Rodrigo (2016 WCPS Finalist).

Once again, I thank you all for contributing towards this issue of the newsletter and I invite everyone to keep attending our educational meetings to experience the magic Toastmastering brings out in us each day.

Message from VP Education TM Kasun Perera

It is my greatest pleasure to see the second edition of bitz & bytez out already. My heartfelt warm wishes to the team and to every single one who contributed in some small way towards this.

How about our first edition—we did it! Best Newsletter Award in District 82! What a dream to see manifest into reality! Three hardy cheers to the team and all of you that made it happen—let’s do it again.

As a young club, let me remind you all once again that we are here to learn, grow and relearn.

I am thrilled to see our members grow into Toastmasters with a purpose; following Toastmasters International mission to “Empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders”.

I am proud to say that this edition brings you rich content filled with our members’ creativity in expressing themselves in writing. I am thrilled to read all the articles here—showing a clear sign of written maturity. I am excited about the future of MillenniumIT Toastmasters.

Let me take this opportunity to sincerely thank DTM Ajantha Jayawardena (Program Quality Director for D82) who spoke on his experience as a project chair of the district conference, TM Darshana Gunarathne (Area Director) who kept visiting us to guide us and advice our Toastmasters in areas to improve and not forgetting TM Kaishika Rodrigo (2016 WCPS Finalist) who gave us an evening to remember with her insights into the path to her finals speech.

Finally, I would like to invite fellow colleagues of MillenniumIT, as well as fellow Toastmasters to visit our club and join in this great feast. We have lined up some interesting themed educational meetings this quarter too: –– Retrospective of 2016 – 11th January 2017 –– Valentines Special – 8th February 2017 –– Into the Wild – 8th March 2017 Let’s go!

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MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

A visit from DTM Ajantha Jayawardena – Program Quality Director of D82

Our Club was privileged on the 26th of October 2016, to have a guest speaker in the calibre of DTM Ajantha Jayawardena; the Program Quality Director of District 82. From the word go, his advice was invaluable. His key note was based on how the Toastmaster experience helped him to excel as the project chair of the district conference 2015. DTM Ajantha stressed on how important the High Performance Leadership Program was and how it equipped him to take on this role of District Program Quality Director; “It may seem tough and you may wonder how on earth you are going to complete these tasks, but it’s worth every bit of it once done” he said, talking about the High Performance Leadership Program manual.

Further, he stressed on not to look for shortcuts reaching to the top of a Toastmaster Leadership path; be it at a Club or District level. He stressed on how important and helpful it is to visit other Clubs and help out—take part in events and meetings.

A year’s head start may seem crazy for planning an event! But that’s how much commitment and detailing an event such as an Ovation takes.

Family, health, work—that’s the correct order of how things should work in order to function right. When asked as to how he managed his time with so much to do. He simply said, “Your family has to be supportive of whatever you do. That is the key”.

family, health, work—that’s the correct order of how things should work in order to function right.

We are truly honored to have you Sir! Your advice will be glued on to our minds and take on challenges and reach for greater things.

Being a proud member of his District, we would love to thank DTM Ajantha Jayawardena for his visit. We wish to cheer him on and wish him all the success in his future endeavors.

A Champ’s visit

In our last meet for the year, 7th December, TM Kaishika Rodrigo graced our shores for an evening to remember with many a laughter and insights into her path to the WCPS Final. We thank her for her valuable time with us.

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Mi way of life At the edge of the commercial capital in this tropical paradise of Sri Lanka, there exists a special place bearing the address, No.1 Millennium Drive, Malabe. It will lead you to a college like campus situated in a large park covered in lush greenery of trees bordered by paddy fields, which refresh your senses as you feel the fresh air under the warmth of sun and grass at your feet. These are the first tingling impressions anyone would feel as they enter the gates of MillenniumIT. This scenic environment located in the suburbs of Colombo, spans a 19 acre land; which include office complexes that are surrounded by large lawns, fish ponds, water fountains, trees, shrubbery and flowers. The atmosphere makes you wish you had your workstation under a tree!

The office complex was not built, but integrated with the natural environment; minimizing the impact on the environment. Hence, its initial occupants—hens, roosters, cows, monkeys, dogs, cats, pigeons, lapwings, kingfishers, doves, cranes, egrets, ducks, butterflies, water monitors and even a few rat snakes, still occupy this shared living space; a place unique in its products, environment, as well as its occupants and how they work. With the slogan ‘Innovation is Power’, this powerhouse powers the financial markets around the world.

The uniqueness does not end there; MillenniumIT has an employee centric work ethic and policies which makes even the toughest job a pleasant experience. We nurture a dynamic work environment based on the synergy of highly skilled individuals working as a team. In this light, MillenniumIT always depend on the knowledge and skill development of its employees and believe this as the primary factor of forward propagation of individuals, teams and the company alike.

The concept of creating this office complexes that are surrounded ginormous facility was to ensure that by large lawns, fish ponds, water employees do not feel inconvenient; working away from the city—the fountains, trees, shrubbery and flowers reason why facilities like an ATM machine to a large sports center has been integrated. The sport center houses the gymnasium, basketball court, squash court, table tennis court and swimming pool. More facilities include a café which serves food from morning till late night, an auditorium, an accommodation center, a crèche for parents with kids, a gaming lounge and a large ground for field sports.

Working here is a life changing opportunity. It’s a life changer, as it gives you the opportunity to think big and think global. Employees are constantly encouraged to innovate and come up with new and creative solutions to problems. The very supportive and approachable management gives juniors the opportunity for feedback and growth. With cutting edge technologies and a fully-fledged research and development facility, it enables individuals and teams to unleash their full potential.

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MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

We work passionately, but we play just as hard; where we as an organization represent all mercantile sports competitions proudly. Recently, the company initiated the MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club, giving employees the opportunity to learn the art of public speaking and leadership. In addition, here at MillenniumIT, employee engagement is considered as one of the most important factors in employee motivation. As such, many employee engagement initiative ownerships are given to employees. MiClub, the sole owner of all entertainment actives organized at MillenniumIT, ensures that quarterly and monthly activities are carried out as a motivation factor. From sports tournaments, to musical evenings, to dinner dances, it takes the stand in getting employees involved. If you are on the lookout for a great place to work where the culture lets you have fun as a practice— this would be it.

Additionally, we work with the community by ensuring our own footprint is made by getting involved in CSR activities. With the recent floods that hit the town of Malabe, our employees were surely and strongly involved with evacuation activities and support to people affected from this disaster. Furthermore, we as an organization initiate many projects throughout the year to help the community together with the support we receive from London Stock Exchange Group.

MillenniumIT is a fully owned company under London Stock Exchange Group. We further boast as the proud creators of exchange, surveillance, market data, order routing and post trade software which runs not only in the UK, but caters to a wide range of clients spread across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America.

If someone were to ask me what makes us at MillenniumIT tick, I would say it’s all about the passion that drives employees. This essence has been trickled down from its inception. In the year 1996, Tony Weeresinghe founded MillenniumIT as a systems integrator and Sun Microsystems authorized Reseller. The company entered into the software stream the following year when they got the opportunity by way of a systems integration contract from the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE).

This was the start of our journey in software and the starting point in development of many Capital Market products. It is the freedom which has been instilled in the culture of the organization; which lets its employees to be creative and wiling; which comes by means of the management; which is the key to our success.

We are proud to say that we have reached this level from humble beginnings; and due to this, the opportunity is always open for individuals who want to create a future for themselves.

TM Numica Perera Assistant Manager – HR Operations MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Conquering a fear worse than death When addressing a gathering, almost everyone would experience a certain degree of anxiety. Public speaking—the worst fear experienced by many individuals; which surpass the fear of flying, bankruptcy, ill-health or even death. A fear worse than death? Yes, like many other survival instincts, the logic is simple; the dead don’t feel anything, but after a speech you still have to face the crowd.

Sometimes, known as stage fright, speech anxiety or performance anxiety, varies from slight nervousness to a fear that could incapacitate a person.

Typical symptoms of speech anxiety include sweating, dry mouth, voice waver, trembling, butterflies in the stomach, rapid heartbeat, etc. Sometimes these symptoms become so bad, some people get physically ill before they perform. This happens not only to novice speakers, but surprisingly to experienced speakers and even professional artists.

Sir Rod Stewart, an award winning musician and singer, was so nervous; he sometimes sang entire songs from behind stacks of speakers at concerts.

Photograph by Helge Øverås

For singer, songwriter, actress and filmmaker Barbra Streisand, it took almost 30 years to conquer her stage fright.

Speech anxiety really is a type of stress. Even before the delivery of a speech, anticipation builds up in us; which paves the way for different scenarios of chaos and failure to be evaluated subconsciously. These thoughts are born in the primitive parts in our brain that control how we react to threats. Since they are hardwired to our brain through millions of years of evolution, these emotions are extremely difficult to control or hide. It is this kind of responses that are commonly known as the ‘fight or flight’ response and they are part of the natural survival instincts of our species. It is these reactions that work against us during the delivery of a speech. However irrational this may sound, almost all of us have been there, and ended up with the question; ‘why did I react as if I’m being threatened?’

The answer comes from intrinsic mechanics of our psyche and how our bodies are wired to respond. When we contemplate negative effects or consequences of a certain task or situation, a part of our brain (hypothalamus) triggers the pituitary glands to exude the hormone ACTH, which stimulates the adrenal glands of the kidneys; resulting the release of adrenaline to the bloodstream.

the dead don’t feel anything, but after a speech you still have to face the crowd

Adrenaline shifts the body to overdrive; increasing blood circulation and metabolism in order to get the muscles ready for ‘fight or flight’. The digestive system shuts down and the blood flow from the skin surface is diverted to maximize the blood supply to vital muscle groups.

As a result, you may feel ‘flapping butterfly wings’ in your stomach; while you start feeling cold and your mouth becomes dry as the saliva production decreases. Breathing becomes faster and deeper to better oxygenate the body. Adrenal hormones (Cortisol and DHEA) results in increased energy mobilization by shifting the heart rate to overdrive; dilated pupils reduce the peripheral vision and increases long range vision; with an increased blood flow to the brain, the cognitive performance increases and the whole body becomes tense and elevated to a ‘trigger-happy’ state. While this preparation is good for fighting or fleeing for survival, it is not conducive in delivering a speech.

Despite millions of years of evolution working against us, public speaking is of paramount importance to all. Be it at official functions, presentations, personal or social gatherings, the skills learned in public speaking are an invaluable asset to everyone. Among some of the many obvious advantages that can be acquired through training ourselves in public speaking, the

Adele, Grammy award winning singer, has admitted she often throws up before performances due to anxiety.

– Photograph Marc E.

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MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

following few shine in a corporate world—public speaking helps you: –– deliver a message clearly and concisely.

–– better connect with people.

–– allows you to drive change as communication is the vessel for any form of change.

–– provide leadership to your team; as one of the primary functions of any leader is communication.

In essence, we have no other alternative, but to combat speech anxiety. To do so, we need the support of experienced mentors, applicable techniques and guides. Joining Toastmasters, is an initial step in this journey. With the help of our TMI educational manuals, mentors, educational sessions, and lots and lots of practice, even the most nervous persons, can conquer speech anxiety; as history has proven time and again.

References: [1] “Speech anxiety,” in University of Pittsburgh. [Online]. Available: http://www.speaking.pitt.edu/student/public-speaking/speechanxiety.html. Accessed: May. 28, 2016.

[2] P. Enright, “Even stars get stage fright,” in Mental health, msnbc.com, 2007. [Online]. Available: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/20727420/ns/healthmental_health/t/even-stars-get-stage-fright/. Accessed: June 20, 2016.

[3] “Musicians who fear the stage,” The GRAMMYs, 2017. [Online]. Available: http://www.grammy.com/news/musicians-who-fear-the-stage. Accessed: Aug. 05, 2016.

[4] K. McCabe, “Stars haunted by stage fright,” NewsComAu, 2016. [Online]. Available: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/zayn-malik-isntthe-only-pop-superstar-who-suffers-crippling-anxiety-about-performing/news-story/9787a1a5c138676ca5976193db6bbece. Accessed: Jun. 8, 2016.

[5] Backstage, “Study shows stage fright is common among working actors,” Backstage.com. [Online]. Available: http://www.backstage.com/news/ study-shows-stage-fright-is-common-among-working-actors/. Accessed: Aug. 4, 2016.

[6] M. Trueman, “Stephen fry, stage fright and how to avoid it,” in The Guardian, The Guardian, 2012. [Online]. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/ stage/2012/sep/21/stephen-fry-stage-fright. Accessed: Aug. 19, 2016.

[7] “Fight-or-flight response,” in Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response.

Accessed: Sep. 21, 2016.

[8] David, “Overcome fear of public speaking,” 2009. [Online]. Available: http://www.anxietycoach.com/fear-of-public-speaking.html. Accessed: May 14, 2016.

TM Sampath Ganege Associate Software Architect

Photo-toasting competition In order to bring out yet another talent in our members after a successful first edition, we invited our Toastmasters to submit their photographic talents, to publish as the cover photo for this issue. Among the many submissions, the best captures were selected and used for this edition of bitz & bytez.

Winner

Mesmerizing sun rise 1st runner-up

Enlightenment 2nd runner-up

Reflections

TM Chathurika Lakmali

TM Prasanna Karunarathna

TM Amodh Jayasinghe

While congratulating the winners, we thank all Toastmasters who submitted their captured moments.

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Stupidity or creativity?

“Mama look, a lot of people near that red bus there! Why is it not moving?” Mama replied, “its front tire has punctured”. That answer kept him quiet for three seconds. “It has three more tires; why can’t it move?” he continued loudly. Mama was turning red. “All four tires have to be there for it to move”, mama replied while greeting us with an embarrassing smile on her face. Although all adults in the bus agreed with mama’s answer, the kid seemed unsatisfied. “Our neighbor’s three-wheeler moves with only three tires. Why can’t this move with three tires?” Mama was speechless. “It’s enough now! I will tell you later” and put her hand around the kid’s mouth so that she won’t get embarrassed anymore.

Have you faced a similar situation with little kids and quieted them with your power; just to protect your dignity or to hide your ignorance?

This article will comfort you and make you proud of your kids. If you do not have kids yet, then take this as information that you will need at some point in time of your life. You will see yourself sitting somewhere within this article.

Scientists say that the never ending queries by kids are their genuine attempt to gather knowledge;

Creativity is defined as the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. It is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways and come up with new ideas [1]. Kids are curious and creative. Scientists say that the never ending queries by kids are their genuine attempt to gather knowledge; they are not aimed to discomfort parents [2]. When kids get information, they come up with new ideas to solve problems. A walkie-talkie to be used underwater was first taught by an 11 year old kid [3]. The thinking behind it was—why can’t he communicate with his father using a walkie-talkie while surfing in Hawaii. The “popsicle”, which all of us love, was also discovered by an 11 year old boy [3]. He had accidently left the stirring stick in the glass he mixed water and soda water powder. Curious to see how the stick holds the mixture, he left it there.

Later, he repeated it for his children and then introduced it to the world.

At a TEDx event held at Tucson Arizona, in February 2011, Dr. George Land explains the results of his study to measure differently thinking capability levels (also known as, creative geniuses) in children and adults [4]. His test measured the ability to generate multiple approaches for solving a problem. The test was performed for 1600 kids from ages 3 to 5 years. The same test that he developed is used by NASA in selecting innovative engineers and scientists. The same children were re-tested at ages 10 and 15 years. The results were astounding!

When the test was carried out for the 3 to 5 year old kids, 98% of them were Source: Breakpoint and Beyond: Mastering the Future Today by Dr. George Land creative. When the test was performed for 10 year olds, the level of creativity was 30%. And for the 15 year olds, the number was 12%. Finally, the same test was performed for 280,000 adults of age 30; the creativity level was only 2%.

The results were alarming. Dr. George Land points out that creativity of adults were very low and it is further reducing due to reasons such as fear of failure, rules and regulations, habits, pressure to conform and especially due to the nature of the education system; which creates good workers who follow only given instructions.

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MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

The workforce of a country is usually between the ages 18 and 60 years. Creativity and innovation are the key ingredients of any successful business. How can we improve creativity? There are various ongoing researches on teaching creativity. If you Google the phrase, “how to teach creativity” you will find plenty of details. Among them are—welcoming questions, asking open ended questions, noting down ideas on a notebook, brainstorming and giving permission to be wrong, are the top results.

Edwin Land, the inventor of Polaroid instant camera said, “creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity.” Will you quiet your kid, your college, your subordinate or yourself, the next time they throw an unexpected question?

References: [1] “What is Creativity” by Linda Naiman, founder and co-author of “Creativity at work”. http://www.creativityatwork.com/2014/02/17/ what-is-creativity/ [2] “Why Kids Ask Why” by Jeanna Bryner, Live Science Managing Editor. http://www.livescience.com/5892-kids.html [3] “10 Great Inventions Dreamt Up By Children” by Warren Dahl. http://www.greatbusinessschools.org/10-great-inventions-dreamtup-by-children/ [4] “The Failure Of Success” by Dr. George Land in TEDxTucson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfKMq-rYtnc

TM Ransara Wijethunga Tech Lead

Speaking 101 – Eliminate them crutch words Like

Obviously

The cardinal sinner of lazy words—like, is interspersed in dialogue to give a speaker more time to think or because the speaker cannot shake the habit of using the word.

Like should describe something of the same form, appearance, kind, character or amount.

But, very often, it is used involuntarily in conversation, just like um.

This word should signify an action which is readily observable, recognized or understood.

Speakers tend to use it, however, to emphasize their point with regards to things that aren’t necessarily obvious: “Obviously he should have thrown the ball to first base.”

Literally This adverb should be used to describe an action that occurs in a strict sense. Often, however, it is used inversely to emphasize a hyperbolic or figurative statement: “I literally ran 300 miles today.”

Actually Actually signifies something that exists in reality, but it is more often used as a way to add punch to a statement—”I actually have no idea”.

Basically Honestly This crutch word is used to assert authority or express incredulity, as in, “Honestly, I have no idea why he said that.” However, it very rarely adds honesty to a statement.

Reference:

This word is used to signal truth, simplicity, and confidence, like in “Basically, he made a bad decision.” It should signify something that is fundamental or elementary, but too often this word is used in the context of things that are far from basic in order to create a sense of authority and finality.

http://www.dictionary.com/slideshows/umwords#actually

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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TM Harshan Senadhira (ACS, ALB) Project Manager

Interview with a Mentor Q. What motivated you to be a Toastmaster?

My initial motivation was one of my MBA lecturers. There was something different about him than the rest, when he delivered a lecture. Intuitive enough to find out what made him standout from the rest, I learnt that he was a Distinguished Toastmaster. I was wondering what this “Toastmasters” was and looked it up and wanted to join the program; as I admired and always wanted to speak in front of an audience; just like that lecturer. But then, got caught up with the usual rat race and never followed the path, until one of my good friends forcefully “threw” me into a contest—SLIM Speech Idol, an island-wide speech contest organized by Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing Toastmasters Club. That was the day I realized where I was in terms of public speaking.

Well, it wasn’t that bad; as I became one of the seven finalists and it wasn’t good enough either; as I couldn’t secure one of the top three places.

That motivation and realization forced me to start walking the path. I’m still discovering.

Q. If we talk about some of the milestones in your TM career?

There are many. But I love to cherish the first humorous speech contest season in 2012. I was a novice back then; knew nothing about competitions; but decided to take the challenge. First it was the Club Level competition, which was brisk; then came the Area Level, which I went through without much effort. Then the Division Level, which was intense, as there were quite a few seasoned contestants; including some who had won District Level competitions. The best thing was, I didn’t want to win, as I knew I’m not going to make it, due to the tough competition.

I just went on stage and enjoyed the moment. I remember the audience laughing hysterically as I went on with my speech; “solution from past”, an innovative, yet funny way of looking at a bullock-cart. The results were being announced. I wasn’t expecting my name to be announced.

But the moment the second place was announced, my heart stopped. Because, the toughest competitor, who was once a winner of the impromptu speech contest of District 82, was placed second. There was this voice that started to whisper, “it’s you”. Yes it was me, and it was my day.

That was the baptism of my Toastmaster career in my opinion. As that was the day I became famous amongst fellow Toastmasters of the District. They still remind and commend me on the “bullock-cart” even after four years. Later there were many club, area and division level winnings; including the 1st place win of the impromptu speech contest of Division J this year.

That’s about speech competitions. If I go beyond, there are few others which I consider as milestones of my Toastmaster career. Being elected to the Executive Committee of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing Toastmasters Club and being chosen to help MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club as a mentor, to name a few. The last one but certainly not the least, was when I represented a panel of six Sri Lankan Toastmasters to conduct a series of guest lectures at VIT Campus – Vellore this year.

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MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

Q. How did being a Toastmaster help/affect your career and personal life?

Communication and leadership skills play a vital role in today’s context. In this context, being trained in communication and leadership is priceless—it helps day-in and day-out. From a simple one-on-one discussion at office, to a serious business meeting with a client, I reap the benefits of this amazing program. Addressing a gathering, a meeting or leading a problem solving situation are inevitable situations at a workplace or even in personal life. All these are not a challenge if you are a Toastmaster in good standing. Handling clients was never a challenge after I became a Toastmaster. Most importantly, it transformed me from a very bossy, unfriendly project manager to a friendly, collaborative project manager; and it was affirmed by my previous CEO who had seen this transformation. In my personal life, as the elder brother, I had to deliver speeches at wedding ceremonies of both my brother and sister. I still remember how I mesmerized both audiences. It was totally unexpected for them as they were expecting speeches from much senior relatives of the newly married. There were so many unforgettable moments that I’ve experienced and I guess the best is yet to happen. The best thing I enjoy is being able to sit in the front row of any audience and not having any issues of being called in front of an audience, totally unprepared.

Q. In your opinion, what are the essential traits a Toastmaster should cultivate, nurture and possess?

The traits which can add value to yourself and to others. The ones I’ve chosen and nurtured are reading, collecting stories from my own life as well as from others. Needless to say, continuously taking part in Toastmaster meetings to keep up-to-date. Simply to do what it takes to become a leader and a good communicator.

Q. As a young club, we have many members who are yet to do their ice breaker speech. Can you share some of your experience in public speaking, which would help them in a successful delivery of their next speech?

Again back to basics. If you know something better, you can communicate it to someone or to an audience with ease. Is there any topic you know better than your own life story? Can we as the audience validate it? Challenge it saying, it’s wrong? The answer is a big fat NO. It’s you the speaker; it’s a topic you know well; it’s your life story. Ask the following questions in addition to the ones I’ve already asked.

Do you need to remember it? Have a fear of forgetting your own story? Even if you forget, would the audience know about it? If the answer is NO for more than one question, you can deliver your ice breaker speech without any issue.

Q. What is your message for Toastmasters at MillenniumIT? We’re knowledge workers; those who possess and work with knowledge. Often, we are involved with exchanging information—communication in other words. This is not an option anymore; it has become a must in the current context. You have made the correct choice by joining the Toastmasters program. However, there’s no magic portion or magic pill which will make you a good communicator and a leader instantly. There are mentors, but they cannot perform any magic to transform you into a Dananjaya Hettiarachchi. Results depend on your dedication, commitment and compassion towards “Toastmastering”. Keep coming for meetings and more importantly, start the educational program. You will experience, “THE MAGIC”!

Themed meetings...

Retrospective of 2016 11th January 2017

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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TM Ishan Somasiri Senior Software Engineer

Our Humorous Speech Champ Q. What was running in your head while competing for the humorous competition?

Nothing much. When I do a speech, I usually fully immerse myself in the story. But this time it was a little special; because for the first time in my life, my wife was there to see a speech of mine. The speech was about how the two of us met. I remember sharing a few eye glances at her during the speech.

Q. How does one be funny if your audience isn’t laughing at your joke?

A humorous speech competition is not about you being a comedian and filling the room with laughter with every word you utter. The purpose of a humorous speech competition is to recognize the value of humour in a speech. Your audience does not need to burst out in laughter for the jokes you make. If you are able to put even a small smile on their faces on the humour you try to invoke, that’s considered as humour.

Also it’s important to note that in the judging criteria, only 15 points out of 100 is dedicated to the response of the audience. So even if your audience doesn’t respond at all, not even with a faint smile, which is highly unlikely, you’ll only be losing a maximum of 15 points. You still are left with 85 points to score!

Hence, the bottom line is, even if your audience is not laughing at your joke, you are absolutely fine.

Q. How does one prepare for a humorous speech and where do you find the inspiration?

I think the very first thing you should be doing when preparing for any competition is reading the evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria (Judge’s Guide) for any Toastmaster competition is freely available online. You should read it carefully; analyze which criteria points are given. You could even do an evaluation of your own strong points and weak points against the criteria in the Judge’s Guide. Doing such an analysis would help you to focus more on your weak spots when practicing the speech.

Then to get an idea of what a real competition and speeches would look like, you can check speeches of winning speakers freely available online. Analyze what they have in common. Analyze those speeches against the judging criteria. This would give you a clear idea as to what degree judges expect in the evaluation sheet to be achieved.

After you select a theme for your speech, start writing the speech early. Many of us tend to postpone writing the speech till we get the perfect plot. But that never works. It’s better to sketch the flow of the speech first and start practicing it early. While practicing the speech, you’d get more ideas on how to improve certain positions in the storyline.

The earlier you start practicing the speech, the better. If you look at the evaluation criteria, the content of the speech is given only 15 points out of 100. Most of the points are given for the delivery of the speech. It really requires lots of practice to deliver a speech properly.

Practice alone. Practice in front of others. Get their feedback as well.

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With enough practice, you’d have a masterpiece which will definitely make you a winner!

To find inspiration, you just need to look in to your day-to-day life. All our lives are filled with mini adventures, small stories worth telling. We don’t see them because we don’t look at them with enough attention. For example, I got the idea of my winning speech after me and my wife had an argument one particular Sunday evening. The argument we had made me think about how I met her. That led me to write a speech about all the obstacles we faced in our love story.

So if you think enough, you’ll find plenty of stories to tell.

Q. As a winner of the Club Level contest, what advice would you give us on how to decide on a winning humorous speech?

Before the competition, it’s essential to get an idea of the target audience. The message you are trying to deliver should be something everyone in the audience can relate to. It’s better if it’s a simple idea that everyone can understand. It’s important that the content of the speech is not offensive to anyone in the audience.

If the speech is presented using a story or using a real life experience of yours, the audience will connect with you more. The story of my speech was how I met my wife. Love is something that everyone can relate to. It’s easier to grab everyone’s attention in such a theme.

Fear the stage...oh really?

The drama starts amidst a crowd of 200 plus people; the choreographer screams—go, go, go!

And there I am, on a stage for the first time in my life. The act was for me to run around dressed up like a zebra. I was scared, nervous and wasn’t sure if I’m doing my act right. I was thanking God when it finally ended; the screen closed and the drama was over. It was this day that I placed a full stop to stage fright.

Fear of failure and fear of rejection are two common factors that freak people out when they get on a stage. Fear kicks in when one is not confident. Confidence doesn’t come naturally to anyone; it does require a great deal of patience and a greater deal of practice. Before you get on to any stage, it’s important that you practice; you can make mistakes and laugh at yourself. This, not to let you down but to look at what mistakes you make and correct yourself before you get on that stage. The use of a mirror to practice is one of the most powerful tools that one could use. Once you the use of a mirror to practice have practiced, you will have more confidence in is one of the most powerful yourself; because you know the chances of you tools that one could use failing and being rejected is very low.

Next is how stage friendly you are. Achieving this requires you to find opportunities to get on to a stage and perform. The more you perform, you will find that conquering the stage is not as challenging as you thought it would be.

Finally, getting on a stage will not be a strain or a forceful effort. And you would ask this question from yourself: ‘Fear the stage, oh really?’.

TM Imtiyaz Aniff Manager Talent

Themed meetings...

Valentines Special 8th February 2017

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Christmas is here!

It is that time of the year again; the end of a year and we sit at the verge of the beginning of another. The most beautiful thing about the year is that it ends with Christmas. The best time to share the joy and happiness with everybody. The December feeling lingers by the wind that chills with the season’s special aroma and sensation. Each time the winds of December blows, along with goosebumps, it brings back memories of Christmas past. All the people who made your Christmas memories sweet, comes to mind with this overwhelming Christmas breeze—loved ones, some still in your life and some who are missed. These blissful memories do bring tears into your eyes.

The end of a year is a time to reflect, a time to remember achievements and learn from failures, while making new plans and appreciating goals achieved.

the end of a year is a time to reflect, a time to remember achievements and learn from failures Christmas is a time to give thanks and visit the closest people in your life. Remember the ones who need your love and care. Remember the ones who need our help. Although, this needs to be done each and every day, let’s make it a point to do it for Christmas as a norm. Christmas is the beginning of a cycle. A beginning of joy as per the gospel, it’s a beginning of a new world, a new journey and a birth of the Saviour who brings hope to all. It’s the time to cast away fears and remember the new life which lies ahead.

Remember to cherish and resonate your joy so that you make many new memories for a happy life.

May the seasonal wind breeze you over with love and happiness!

TM Numica Perera Assistant HR Manager 16

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II www.thinglink.com

A letter to my beautiful daughter My Loving Daughter,

31st December 2016

This is my first letter to you. While I write this, I picture you as a singing, giggling two year old with laughing eyes, jumping up and down on bed.

Let me start with the most important thing. You are beautiful. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise. You are beautiful because you have a genuine heart and you don’t

try to be someone you are not. You should always be the most beautiful thing in your eyes. Beauty is what you have to offer the world; and this is not something others

can decide for you. Beauty is in your thoughts, your words and actions. When we get older and go out into the world, we don’t remember this. There will be times when

you feel down and stop appreciating yourself for who you are and forget to be happy for yourself. There will be times when you let others define your beauty and you

may start searching for means to correct yourself. But remember, being able to find

beauty within yourself and staying true to yourself under any circumstance in life, is a great achievement and the best route to happiness.

My dear daughter, remember that everyone else is beautiful in their own way too;

including animals. They all have beautiful hearts no matter how they look. They all crave for the same thing; love and appreciation. Be gentle to everyone. Appreciate them for who they are. Teach them what beauty is and how to find it within themselves.

Lastly, even if you don’t remember any of this, just know that you are the most beautiful being in this world in your mummy’s eyes.

Till my next letter, Love you, Mummy.

TM Santhushti Liyanawadu Senior Business Analyst MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Are you a dinosaur?

What comes to your mind when you think about dinosaurs? Apart from being extinct, other words that come to our mind are humongous, dangerous and to some, the thought could even send a chill down their spine. Let me suggest another characteristic which describes dinosaurs—RIGID! Rigid for what, you may ask? Let me elaborate—rigid for change! This answers the obvious fact why they’re extinct; they failed to adapt to rapid changes in the environment. As scientists believe, a substantial change in climate conditions or large scale devastation may have occurred.

Unfortunately for them and fortunately for us, these humongous creatures have failed to adjust themselves to the changes in the surrounding environment.

According to evolution theory, by natural selection, primates were more dynamic in adjusting to changes in the surrounding environment. Whilst thanking our ancestors, we should change the way we look at a monkey the next time we come across one. The fact being, they’re more dynamic than some humans today; who try to be more like a dinosaur, after what happened millions of years ago.

Let’s take a deeper look at this. the time in school, “the only constant in this world is change” Remember when you had to leave your friends when promoted from one class to another? Was it an easy change? Shifting from one house to another or one work place to another or more often than not, changing from the computer system you’ve been working for ages; remember those times? How did you react during these situations or any major change which happened around your environment; be it personal or work related?

Let’s face the bitter truth—most of us are reluctant to change. Reluctant to change the way we work, the way we talk, the way we act upon and the list goes on. This is perfectly fine if that’s what you want—to go extinct. If you don’t want to go extinct, embrace change!

Be the change and lead the change; the bottom line is, always anticipate change. It’s inevitable in the dynamic context of today’s world. As a wise man once said, “the only constant in this world is change”.

The next time there’s a change in your environment, think for a moment; whether to embrace it and survive, or refuse it and go extinct. The choice is yours.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk

TM Harshan Senadhira (ACS, ALB) Project Manager 18

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

Are you afraid of the dark?

What’s your greatest fear? Are you scared of ghosts and goblins or any other unearthly creatures?

Now that you have grown out of that, perhaps you fear what has become of the world we live in today—war, terrorist activity around the world, countries having nuclear weapons and unafraid to use them? Maybe your fears are closer to home—tax changes, vehicle prices, the budget? If you have been living in our little wonder of Asia all your life, you should have grown out of any fears by now.

All living things are exposed to fear, and over the years evolution has changed man and other living things to be adaptable to fear. You get an adrenaline dose when you get scared; which is your body getting ready for evasive action when it feels you are in danger. At times, adrenaline is scared to act too and you just freeze in the same place.

According to studies, the greatest fear of man is something you as a Toastmaster experience frequently. Yes, it’s the fear of public speaking. As Jerry Seinfeld, the talk show host claims, “according to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death.

Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means, to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” In which case, some of you seasoned Toastmasters would feel that you have conquered a fear even greater than death. However, Mark Twain says, “there are two types of speakers; those who are nervous and those who are liars.”

You will be amazed with the kind of fears some have. Spiders, snakes, rats are understandable, but there are some who are terrified of clowns, numbers, Friday the 13th, garlic or even long words (no wonder some kids don’t like the spelling B).

I take comfort in the fact that even the great warriors Asterix, Obelix and the others from Gaul, who stood against the mighty forces of Julius Ceaser, had a fear too—that the sky would fall on their heads!

There are many people who are scared of “closed places” which is known as claustrophobia. I happen to know a few friends who suffer from this fear. They are scared that when they go to the liquor store, the place will be closed!

Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise

It still baffles me why people pay for the thrill of watching horror movies. Some are pretty scary and people go the extra mile and decide to watch them in 3D too.

Is fear as bad as it’s supposed to be? Surprisingly, there is a good side to fear as well. If you can get fear to push you from behind rather than stand in front, you will achieve things which are otherwise not possible. Great cricket teams practice this to good measure and reap its benefit; as the fear of being dropped out gives the team motivation to outperform others. The great All Blacks rugby side consists of a strong bench that always pushes players to perform out of their skin.

In our working context, imagine if your life depended on coding without errors? Now that’s a thought that would put fear into any software engineer.

In closing, would you let fear stand in front of you or let it push you to achieve your best? You can let F.E.A.R. Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise—the choice is yours.

TM Priyantha Cooray Head of Corporate Finance & Planning MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Red pill or blue pill?

“You take the blue pill—the story ends; you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I’m offering is the truth. Nothing more.”

Anyone recalls those famous lines in the Matrix movie?

Do you know who you are?

I don’t mean your name! How would someone distinguish you among others; how would the universe identify you; have you ever thought of these? Your name, identity card number or any other registration number you obtain can be changed or forged.

What if we are given a serial number at the moment of being conceived; and what if everything that happens to us or around us, are based on this serial number?

In some cultures, it is tradition to record the birth time, which will be later used for astrological purposes. How certain are you that this time is correct? How would you know if your star sign is correct? If you are an ardent believer in astrology, you could believe in something which was never meant for you. How would you know if your date of birth is correct? There is no possibility for you to remember that. But you believe your parents. What if they were wrong?

From the moment you are born, you learn things by observing the environment. How would you know that everything you see is real? Do others see things the same way as you, or not? For instance, scientists have proved that people see colors differently. Your red could be completely different from my red, but we both call it “red”. Do the things we see, feel and hear the same as everyone?

Your red could be completely different from my red, but we both call it “red”.

What if everything you see is not real? You may be in a dark room, having a very long dream. In this dream, you have choices. But you would never know what would happen if you had made a different choice. Who or what controls the dream? Your imagination has been projected to an augmented world. You “think” that you have the freedom of doing anything you want. Everything you do and think is controlled by an external party. Sometimes we feel that we have changed our “fate”. What if that “change” is the way it was meant to be all along? And this system is designed in such a way, that you truly “feel” you do things by yourself.

What about time travel and parallel universes? Physicists have profound theories on the possibility of this existence; but they have yet to find any real proof. However, there are particular images found on the Internet, captioned as images of time travellers, showing people with futuristic gadgets and looks. But as a typical system or a game, the rules enforce us not to take part or even witness that. The reason is that our senses are so restricted, that we can observe only a limited viewport of things around us. Some of us may have a wider viewport; which allows experiencing things which are not accessible to others. For instance, some people claim that they can see ghosts. These visions may not be of ghosts after all. These can be other organisms that are living on different dimensions than us. All supernatural activities may be results of their actions.

So who controls us? Aliens? God? The answer to that question, even I don’t have. But people already believe in these types of external forces. Some people call it God; who created and controls everything. Some people believe in multiple Gods, which is a division of labor to perform these tasks. And some people believe in karma; which is often called a force or a source of power, which we earn positive or negative. From time to time, messengers such as Jesus, Muhammad, angels, and Gods are sent to this world to deliver messages about these forces. There are some people among us, who had come to realize this by themselves and wanted others to understand it, such as Lord Buddha. In the end, it seems like we all refer to the same concept in different perspectives.

Have I confused you? Let’s digest this slowly. Imagine you’re playing a game of chess. Each player moves their pieces around the board to ultimately win. Now let’s try to see the scenario from the 20

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

point of view of a piece. Let’s consider the Bishop. It is given a supreme command to perform an action. However, from its side, it is just doing its duty when needed. It’s not aware of this master plan. In this case, even the King or the Queen doesn’t know the master plan. Only the player knows it. Now try to apply yourself as that Bishop or King or Queen. You’re studying, working and marrying; as if you do them as your own will. Of course you are led to believe that it’s your own will. What if, everything that is made to be done, is a tiny part of a massive process? We will never know what that master plan is, unless we realize that everything around us is fictitious!

Remember, all I’m offering is the truth. Nothing more. Aristotle once said, “The more you know, the more you-know-you-don’t-know”.

So, which pill would you take?

TM Praneeth Peiris Software Engineer

Don’t miss out!

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Embrace the moment We all wait for that precise moment to do everything. And if life treats you well, all of a sudden you become suspicious. If too many good things happen in your life consecutively, you tend to believe that a catastrophe is near. But why is that? It’s because we believe there’s a time for everything.

Be that as it may, does that mean there’s a time to be happy too? If that’s the thinking, then you’ll hardly have any time for that. As our lives are filled with challenges, problems, heartbreaks and waiting for all that to end is too much to ask for.

There’s a famous Sinhala proverb that perfectly sums up this situation. A man, who was lost in a jungle, finds himself face to face with a tiger. While he was running away from the chasing tiger, he falls into a deep hole and for his luck, grabs hold of a vine that was growing at the edge of the hole. He tights his grip and all of a sudden, he sees a mouse chewing on the vine. Now his life is in mortal danger; if the vine breaks he would fall down and be fatally injured. With that thought he looks down at the bottom of the hole and guess what? He sees a giant cobra ready to strike whoever falls from above. This man has no option at all; whatever the action he takes will put an end to his life. And it’s evident that sooner or later he will have to face the bitter truth. All of a sudden, he feels honey dripping down his arms from a beehive in the vine. This man, irrespective of the three deaths that surround him, licks the honey from his arm.

If we really think about this story, we can see that our lives are no different from this. Of course it’s not as lethal as this man’s, hopefully. But we are surrounded with so many things that we think we cannot enjoy our lives. But if we can enjoy life just like the man enjoyed the sweet honey, even in the midst of a catastrophe—now that would be a good quality to develop. This does not mean that all hardships in life have to be taken for granted. This means that whatever hardships comes your way, enjoy life, and try to be happy.

I learnt this great lesson during the first couple of months of my internship.

The first two months were really hard, getting used to all the work I was assigned to. I had to deal with continuous presentations too. This took a lot of my time; but within a short period, I realized that I lay there stressed and ineffective, rather than actually doing the work.

Even on weekends when I go out with friends, I never enjoyed the time; all I do is think about the presentations for the week and stress about it. Then one day, I read this Facebook post which read: “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future, and if you are at peace, you are living in the present”. This was the turning point of me understanding what I was doing wrong and what I should have been doing all along. I had to embrace the moment—enjoy life when it happened—and that is now!

“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future, and if you are at peace, you are living in the present”.

Shihari Chandrasekara (Guest) Intern

Themed meetings...

Into the Wild 8th March 2017

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MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

MiRROR WALL

Photo by MillenniumIT Toastmasters TM Prasanna Karunarathna

Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Path to a golden life Live a life which can be written in gold, Enlightening others with a golden torch, Which showed you the way in the darkest night, lonely and cold, When in search for a better path in life.

Let out a word which is as sweet as honey, Curing hearts and souls, at the loneliest and hardest hour fate has given life, Let your heart always speak, the purest words of a helping hand, To someone who is really in need.

Give a smile from the deepest point of your heart, Wiping away the tears of an orphan child, Like the blowing wind tendering the sweetest rose, The priceless gift on earth, to be given to all.

TM Niroshan Dharmakantha Project Manager

Santa wake up, it’s Christmas!

Santa are you sleeping?

Patch up those jingle red gowns,

Coz it’s your wake up call,

That tore when you slid down,

For the time is nigh,

Fill up those safety first forms,

To pack all those gifts,

That the reindeers protested all day long,

And muster your reindeers,

Where are all the ribbons gone?

To service your sledge,

Rolled away by the kitten’s that stroll,

And to test those brakes,

Where is that blooming jingle hat?

Send out little drummer boy,

Still stuck on that lazy deer’s back,

To call in more volunteers,

Jingle bell is gone too,

From elves, to dwarfs, to gnomes,

Please practice your ho ho hos

Send word out to all in Santa Land,

Coz Santa!

That the time is nigh,

You need to wake up,

Jump on that jingle mill,

It’s Christmas time!

And burn all those jingle fat bums, arms and hips, For chimneys are tight, And it ain’t sliding you down, 24

TM Angelo Indrajith Technical Writer MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

Chemo I could see the wrinkles and scars, Of my own withered reflection, Not sure if they’re fading away, Or just my weakened blurred vision.

I can feel my pale arid skin, With my tumbled down palms, It kills me recalling how I were, Than the pages left on my diary. https://www.flickr.com/photos/tommymartin

I look like a clown with this dress, Dotted apron which is too large, Standing in the line for my turn, In an empty room with an empty mind.

I am marked with red dots on my chest, Dragged me into a whirling monster, Along with the burning inside me, Felt like being drowned in magma.

With a raised heart, I close my eyes full of tears, Wanted to recall the happiest moments; not fears, Never thought, I would see days disappear, Will they remember who I was; that’s my only fear.

Dead silence across the room; we were both looking down, Whilst I tried to read the emotions over that face, Just saw a glimpse of a tear across the eye; falling down, Things would’ve been different; if that paper had something else.

TM Praneeth Peiris Software Engineer MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Dreams and desires of a future unknown ‘Tis the end of yet another year; and so, we sit and recollect and rejuvenate our thoughts towards a stronger year—a time that brings in many crazy, yet amazing ideas. With that in mind, we thought it interesting to have some thoughts from our members what they would have loved to be, if they were not what they are now!

“If I was not an accountant, I would have been a teacher.” TM Frank

“Currently I’m an intern project manager. But if I wasn’t, I would have loved to be involved in my father’s business.” TM Omar

“Currently I’m an engineer. But if I wasn’t, I would have loved to be an artist.” TM Inshan

“I am currently a business consultant, if I wasn’t, I would have loved to be a full time illusionist.” TM Gayan

“Currently I’m a project manager. If not, I would’ve loved to be an owner of my own automobile workshop or just a chauffeur.” TM Harshan

“Currently I’m a business analyst. If I wasn’t I’d love to be an interior designer. TM Santhushti

“At present, by profession I’m a project manager. But if it wasn’t, I’d love to be a Lecturer, guiding the growth of youngsters.” TM Kalana

“Currently, I’m an associate business consultant. But if I wasn’t, I would have loved to be in the tourism and hospitality management sector.” TM Chanaka

“Currently I’m a project director.

But, I would have loved to be an architect (buildings – not software).” TM Prasanna

“Currently I’m in finance, but given the chance, would love to be a guitarist with Jon Bon Jovi.” TM Priyantha

“Currently I’m an intern business analyst, but my passion is to travel around the world and make documentaries about new places and experiences.” Shihari (Guest)

“Currently I’m a senior business analyst, but I would have loved to be a social worker helping out with eradicating food poverty in Africa.” TM Ravindu

“Currently I’m the head of business analysis and consulting. But if I wasn’t, I would have loved to be the President of Sri Lanka.” TM Kasun

“Currently I’m a software engineer. But if I wasn’t, I would have loved to be a professional actor.” TM Shanuka

“Currently I’m a business analyst. However, I always wanted to be a movie director.” TM Ranuka

“I am a software project manager at the moment but from my childhood I loved to be a farmer.“ TM Mythreepala

“I’m a finance executive. But if I wasn’t, I would have loved to be a professional dancer.”

TM Gayanee

“If I was not in HR, I would have loved to be a script writer and get involved in movie production.” TM Numica

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MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

“Currently I’m a talent manager.

But if I wasn’t, I would love to be a chef.” TM Imtiyaz

“I’m a software architect today. I’d love to become a sophisticated investor.”

TM Lilan

“Now I work with coding that goes into a computer, but if I wasn’t, I wish to work in a large project with large machinery.”

Aqeel (Guest)

“I’m a technical writer.

But I would have loved to be a diving instructor.” TM Angelo

“I’m a DevOps engineer, I love what I do, but if I couldn’t be what I am now, I would be a scientist who helps solve a vital human problem or organic farmer who heals world hunger.” TM Lolitha

“If I wasn’t a software engineer, I would have loved to be a pilot.” TM Hesitha

“If I weren’t a senior project manager, I would have been a musician.” TM Lesly

“I’m currently a software engineer. I would have loved to be a full time social worker, if somebody gave me enough money to fulfill my other needs.” TM Praneeth

“I’m a private sector servant who works daily, but if I wasn’t, I would be a physiotherapist who works in an army hospital.” TM Mekala

“I am a legal officer. But if I wasn’t I would have loved to appear at the supreme court as a legal counsel.”

TM Lasantha

“Currently I’m a software architect. But if I wasn’t, I would love to be a wildlife photographer, or a full time social worker.” TM Sampath

“Currently, I’m a quality assurance analyst. But I’d love to be a student counsellor.” TM Chathurika

“As a tech lead I work on technical aspects of software and human aspects of the team. If not, I would have loved to be a lecturer teaching undergraduates technical subjects, introducing course modules on team building, selfmotivation and soft skills.” TM Ransara

“I am an HR Professional.

But if I wasn’t, I would be in the field of media & entertainment.”

TM Amodh

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

“Currently I develop computer solutions that change the world. Since my childhood I always wanted to do that, if I couldn’t, that probably means I’m no longer in this world.”

TM Ishan

“What would I be, if I wasn’t a quality assurance analyst? A drummer.” TM Kokila

“I’m a software engineer. But if I wasn’t, I would have loved to be a travel guide travelling around the world.” TM Mukunthan

“Currently I’m enjoying my role as a senior business analyst; but given the chance, I would have loved to be a pilot.” TM Dinith

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Photo by TM Amodh Jayasinghe

Retrospective of 2016

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MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

All about food

Our themed meeting on food started off with a short video clip on the various breakfast people have around the world. And so, we spoke on food all meeting long. Even the table topics was a creative one where teams were divided and a special menu card was given to each team to come up with an edible solution to the crazy menu presented. Later the table topics speaker had to market their solution. To name a few items; sunscreen, a sheet of A4 paper, soap, banana skin, raw pumpkin, a tissue role, a plastic bag. There were some edible items in the menu too. Four menus had to be presented; in terms of breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Breakfast having lunch, dinner and dessert items in the menu, lunch having breakfast, dinner and dessert items in the menu, were the fun part that the speaker had to cope with. In the end, there were some pretty good creativity running wild.

Movie night

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

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Thoughts from our guests We interviewed three of our guests to have their view point on Toastmasters and our club. Aqeel works as an Intern in Hardware Programming, while Manjula works as a Senior Software Engineer, and Shihari works as a Business Analyst Intern.

1. How did you hear about Toastmasters?

Aqeel: It all started with Ted Talks. After that, I always wanted to deliver a killer speech and found that Toastmasters is the way I could do it.

Manjula: I heard about the club from a bunch of colleagues in my project. One day they were talking about the Toastmaster’s meeting agenda. I asked them for more details about the meetings.

It then occurred to me that this would be a great opportunity for me to improve my public speaking skills.

Shihari : On the first day at our inauguration, we were told about the Toastmasters club and were encouraged to join. Afterwards, one of my colleagues (TM Nirmala) dragged me to the meeting.

2. What were your first thoughts on the first day at our club?

Aqeel: Free FOOD! Manjula: The first day was amazing. I got to participate in the round robin session as well as in the table topic session. The people were so friendly and welcoming. They appreciated my first table topic speech and encouraged me to come for subsequent meetings. I felt very proud about myself, as I could do a speech on my very first Toastmaster meeting.

Shihari : I thought it was really good and felt so happy that I participated. After the meeting, I left with the determination and motivation to continue it throughout.

3. What do you like most in our club?

Aqeel: We get a bunch of people to listen and appreciate whatever I speak.

Manjula: I like getting to know new people. Most importantly, learning from each other’s mistakes.

I also enjoy taking part in fun activities organized by the club (e.g. movie night). There are many talented speakers and I enjoy listening to their speeches. I have in fact learnt so much.

Shihari : Meeting new people with good calibre and also the fact that they genuinely help you out to improve and do better.

4. Would you consider joining us or any other club and being a member at some point?

Aqeel: I’ll be joining when I transfer from intern to the permanently cadre.

Manjula: I would very much like to be a club member and take part in official gatherings with my fellow Toastmasters.

Shihari: After my internship at MillenniumIT, I definitely wish to continue my Toastmaster journey.

We meet every 2nd From 5:30pm

and 4th Wednesday of each month.

to 7:30pm at #1, Millennium Drive, Malabe, Sri Lanka

MillenniumIT Malabe HQ Auditorium We invite you to visit us.

Contact: Praneeth Peiris (VP PR) | praneethp@millenniumit.com | +94778312683 Follow us on: facebook.com/millenniumitToastmasters 30

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

13th Jan

Highlights of 2016

TM Santhushti Liyanawadu

27th Jan

Prepared & Impromptu Speech Club Contest

Prepared & Impromptu Speech Area Contest

Impromptu Speech Division Contest

TM Prasanna Karunarathna

TM Thilina Palliyaguruge

24th Feb

9th Mar

3rd April

20th April

TM Ranuka Amarasinghe TM Frank Reckerman

The Debate

11th May

8th June

TM Praneeth Peiris TM Numica Perera

Father’s Day

22nd June

22nd June

TM Sampath Ganege TM Niroshan Dharmakantha

13th July

Charter Installation Ceremony

10th Aug 24th Aug

Humorous Speech & Evaluation Club Contest

Humorous Speech & Evaluation Area Contest

Movie Night

TM Ashraf Deen

14th Sep

22nd Sep

6th Oct 12th Oct

All about Food

TM Chandima Mawilmada

TM Lasantha De Fonseka

22nd Sep 26th Oct

D82 Best Newsletter - Winner

4th Nov

First joint meeting with SLIIT TMC

7th Dec

TM Lolitha Rathnayake TM Angelo Indrajith

7th Dec

MillenniumIT Toastmasters Club Newsletter – bitz & bytez Issue II

TM Ishan Somasiri

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We humbly take this opportunity to thank District 82 of Toastmasters International for presenting us with this prestigious trophy for the Best Newsletter Award for Quarter 1.

A big thank you goes out to all who cheered us on in this journey. From District to Division to Area to Club level—THANK YOU! Finally, to each of you at MillenniumIT Toastmasters, give yourselves a big hardy pat on the back; for without you, this won’t be a reality!

Let’s do it again.

Wishing everyone a joyful and prosperous new year filled with many exciting adventures ahead.

Hello 2017!