My Blog
Happy, my dog’s daily perspective
6th Feb 2022 1 min read
Do you know what I do most of the time?
In your absence, the cats ignore me completely
I potter around, tried their food, even ease myself indiscriminately
Finally, with a blank look, I plonk myself behind the sliding glass
When the doorknob turns, it’s already dusk
I look into your eyes and knows that we could cozy up to each other
Just for that, nothing else in the world would matter.
***First posted in FB 10 years ago.
I discovered that in a seemingly mild activity……
Summer Lotus 4th Feb 2022 4 min read
I turned 64 in January this year and the song “When I am sixty-four” by the Beatles rang in my mind. I looked around and find that a handful of friends have already retired or preparing to do so.
Used to be, 64 means ‘retirement’. It means ‘slow down. It means ‘Just relax’. Not in today’s world. 64 is the time of enlightenment, wisdom, and golden opportunity.
Do I want to retire? Not really as I do love my job. But there are so many interesting activities to explore and I would need a good balance to have my cake and eat it too. As I continue in my quest to hand the baton to my younger colleagues to free up some time for myself, I found that it was quite liberating. Indeed, life is so interesting in today’s world and I have been caught up in my routine for a long time.
My first new activity was to join a line-dancing community group near my home in October 2021. Near my home, in a courtyard, I have noticed that the line dancing mates are always gathered around 7 pm on most weekday evenings. There was a maximum of 25 people allowed due to the Covid-19 restrictions, and everyone is socially distanced and masked.
As the music was played, the dance mates, mostly in the 60s range but some in their late 30s, would move as a unit, generally smooth and soothing in their ways. I thought it would be too slow for me as I am rather impatient.
One evening, I found a slot available and joined in. They were welcoming. The instructor would always rehearse the steps sometimes in phases depending on which ‘wall’ we face. The music played and the participants were good! They moved in step and rhythm with the songs, some of which seemed tricky to me.
I conceded that I felt like a spoiled sport, unable to remember the instructions and often turned to the wrong directions and was totally out of step, even tripping all over myself. Fortunately, I have a thick hide and the propensity to forgive myself plus the determination to pursue anything that I want to learn.
I learned that success in line-dancing lies in knowing the basic steps and having frequent practices, especially at home. It is first essential to know that the dance steps are all unique and there are so many to master! I learned about grapevine, coaster step, step-touch, twinkle step, Mambo step, etc.
It was fascinating. My 64-year-old legs would have to wake up and respond accordingly if I want to fall in nicely with the group and not become a pariah of a seasoned group of dancers. As I practiced and memorized these steps, some basic dances became easier during the sessions. I felt a sense of accomplishment whenever I could dance with the group.
It helped a lot that we were a cohesive, friendly, and happy bunch! People never fail to teach patiently when they are asked. Because of that, I did not want to waste their time nor disappoint them for future gatherings so I would do my homework too.
It’s been four months since I joined the line dancing group and some members have been enjoying this activity for as long as 8 years! It is no wonder that they are so elegant, natural, and fluid in their movements.
I have at least 6 songs under my belt now that I could dance to without disrupting the group’s harmony. It would require more sessions and practice for me to integrate and move as one unit with them.
Along with this seemingly smooth and harmonious activity, I have reaped a lot of benefits. Physically, I feel more upbeat and agile, especially when there are people in their 70s who could move so gracefully on the dance court. They inspire me to stay active and refined.
I have made many nice friends, many of them who wisely ended their illustrious careers in their 60s to explore and enjoy life to the maximum in many ways.
Line dancing is a great way to boost my brain cells activity, improving my memory as well as my reflexes. Remembering all the necessary steps and moving in tandem with the body is such an exhilarating feeling. With the music rolling and the evening breeze blowing, Oh, what a great sensation! What a great life!
Yes, I am still challenging myself in other interesting activities.
A moment of reflection…..
Summer Lotus 2nd Feb 2022
The coffee always came hot
But often, I consumed it cold
I watched, pondered, and thought
It was none other than my fault
Having a chat
Solving a spat
Mind asunder
To prevent a blunder
Failing to rest
When put to the test
Looking at news
As if one is on cue
Time flies
I suddenly realize
My $8 coffee has gone cold
Nonetheless, I gulped in one go
Another lovely moment misspent
It will not happen again, I quietly vent.
(Poetry from a restless soul)
Make a speech that is clear to your audience
Summer Lotus Jan 23 4 min read
Why are some speeches so memorable? Why does the message stick in our minds? Why do some speakers move you to take action?
The success of any presentation depends on three broad categories. They are delivery, speech content, and language.
According to Toastmasters International Speech Contest Judge’s Guide and Ballot, the scoring is as follows; content 50 percent, delivery 30 percent, and language 20 percent.
Content accounts for 50 out of 100 points possible on the judging ballot. Of those 50 points,
20 are dedicated to speech development (structure, organization, and support material)
15 to speech effectiveness (interest, reception, and achievement of purpose),
15 to speech value (ideas, originality, and logic).
Though we focus on the content here, the three categories are not mutually exclusive as they all contribute to an effectively communicated speech.
1 Speech development (structure, organization, and support material)
A speech should have a beginning, body, and conclusion.
The introduction opens the speech with an attention grabber. It can be a quotation, a visual aid, a dramatic opening, a story to set the background for the latter part of the speech, etc.
A good speaker may use it to comment about his topic, put across his objectives clearly, establish his credentials, and /or get acquainted with his audience by asking questions.
This should not be lengthy as the audience expects the speaker to launch into the speech soon. Moreover, the attention span of the listeners is limited.
The introduction for a speech should take about 10 to 15% of the entire speech time. This means if the speaker expects to talk for about 5 minutes, his introduction should be no more than 45 seconds.
The key is to rein in their attention immediately and garner their interest.
The body of the speech is the meat of the whole delectable meal which is the presentation. This is where speech organization is important.
In a contest speech that is usually 7 minutes, there should be about 3 main points (max 4) to make them memorable. Each point should have a clear and concise story that should be backed up with evidence, an anecdote, statistics, or a survey.
The points are listed as 1, 2, and 3 to make each part succinct. Under each point, the speaker would narrate in detail with an anecdote that could be based on your own story, an observation, other people’s experiences. From one idea to the next, there should be a pause to allow the message to sink into the audience’s minds.
This pause can be made effective by using words like “In addition..”, “ Moreover..”, “ Furthermore..”, etc to ensure a smooth transition of the narrative.
When making the next point, the speaker should have a clear transition like a signpost. The speaker could say, “ The next point is…” or “ My number 2 point is….” The audience is guided to be aware that the first main point has been elaborated and should be ready to listen to the second main point.
If the next point is final, the speaker could announce it as, “My final point is..” or “The third and last point is…”, etc
The main points would clearly guide the audience to a clear understanding of the story that supports the speaker’s theme and objectives of his speech. The audience knows that the presentation is about to end and awaits a conclusion.
In the conclusion, the speaker may summarize the points mentioned briefly and make a strong appeal for action. It is important for the speaker to tie the speech to his objectives so that the audience leaves with a strong message and is persuaded to carry out a worthy cause.
A conclusion should be about 5% of the total speech length. Anything less means that the speaker has ended the speech abruptly and is likely to lose the impact of his or her message.
Too long a conclusion will leave the audience restless and going of a tangent to start a new point is definitely not good.
2. Speech effectiveness (Interest, reception, and achievement of the purpose)
The speaker should carefully select a topic that is of interest to the audience after finding out their demographic, interests, and background. Ask yourself;
Is the topic current? — A topic that involves most of us and that we can resolve by participating would generate interest.
Is the topic taboo? — Issues on race, politics, religion and some sensitive social issues should not be in your department as a commoner.
Is resolution possible — People would like to know if they can be in control of a situation so a topic that is outside their means to resolve would hardly be useful.
3 Speech value (ideas, originality, and logic)
The speaker should choose a topic that provides value to the listener in the respect that they received a better insight into a situation, are enlightened and hopefully motivated to carry out an action that benefits others as well.
Speech that scores are the ones that are original and not plagiarized from any books or articles on the internet. It should preferably be novel in its ideas or concepts. Having humor has a great plus point as people love a good laugh. The speech should also have a logical flow of narration without any preposterous suggestions or theories.
Finally, in addition to Speech content, if the speaker works equally well on the category of delivery as well as language use, the result would certainly be a winning speech in the contest.
Summer Lotus 30th Jan 2022 1 min read
It happened last night;
First, Sleep was elusive
Then the mosquito became disruptive
Further, the mind became ever active
What would be a good operative?
Turned down the temperature to freeze the bug
Said a prayer to calm the heart
Reached for the wine to dull the mind
All was not so well but ended fine.
Thank you anyway, God.
An accidental insight……
It’s becoming a common occurrence
As I looked at the number of incidents
Like wearing different shoes without awareness
No wonder through the day I felt some uneasiness
Then today, I discovered myself wearing different earrings
Again I had no inkling
Maybe this could start a fashion fad
A mistake that makes me quite glad.
( First posted in my FB 10 years ago and sharing it here for posterity)