Davao Trip: Governor's Ball @The Party Boat

Governor's Ball is the event in the Toastmasters District Convention that I really looked forward to aside from  the contests. We enjoyed the party as we roamed around the sea for 3 hours on board the Party Boat(my first time to do that!wee!)

The Party Boat

while we were waiting for our turn to get some food :)

 After some lovely chat with some of our fellow Toastmasters while having dinner, we walked around the boat and we enjoyed the view and the cool breeze.

we three are inseparable!(a pic with the incoming Division Governor)

some of the cocktail mixes available .We prefer them over beer! :)

The cocktails tasted like juice despite the big amount of alcohol they mixed it with so, we had lots of them. Thankfully we didn't get drunk when the night was over. :)

power of three!

a view from the top center of the boat.

Of course, a party is not a party if there's no music! They played songs that are perfect for the party and the singer we had at the party did really well in entertaining us. She's got a good voice and she's really good in dancing. Top of that, she's a great stand up comedian. Everyone laughed their hearts out in every line she utters!

dancing under the rain

While everyone's enjoying the party, it suddenly rained. Some got disappointed but, some loved that even more! When the guys went at the center and danced under the rain(picture above), the others saw how fun it was so they also joined! Sadly though I held back. I don't know why though. Maybe that was just me wanting and trying oh so hard to be "prim and proper". Because of that, I wasn't able to maximize the fun. 

A final picture as the party boat was already near the dock.

It was truly a wonderful night! :)

Another "I see" Moment- Celebrator vs Celebrant

Last night when I visited our Toastmasters' Page for update, our VP for Public Relations posted something he learned from the Toastmaster's Meeting last Friday Night. Upon reading his post, I realized that I was also committing that mistake since I started uttering words. haha! 

Thankfully, despite not being able to attend the meeting, because of our VP-PR's post, I got to learn it as well. The lesson? The difference of celebrant and celebrator. 

Celebrator- a person celebrating an event (like his/her birthday)

Celebrant- the person who is empowered to perform a ceremony (like the priest who celebrates the Eucharist ) or a person who officiates at a religious or civil ceremony or rite, especially a wedding. Celebrants are also the people who are participants of the celebration

Now I know!hehe. Because, before, I usually refer to the person who is the reason for the celebration as the celebrant. 

Like for example when I say, "Ronie's birthday is today. He's the celebrant!". Maybe in regular conversations and informal speaking, it's acceptable but I think, to be much safe and less contentious, it is better to use Celebrator. 

:)

Missing Toastmasters

It's been more than two months since I last attended a Toastmaster meeting. Part of the Toastmasters Promise is to attend club meetings regularly and here I am, being irresponsible because since my term as the Club President, out of all the 6 meetings, I only got to attend 2 of them. Aside from that, I am a part of the team of the organizer of the Speechcraft but I was not at the speech craft. I am the Contest Master of the Area Contest but I was not at the contest. I cried so hard that I missed a lot of things. Considering that I am the President and that I play major roles inside and even outside our toastmasters meeting, I am feeling very helpless, sad and I feel like I am letting my fellow Baguio Toastmasters down.

Since I became a member of Toastmasters, I became very active. I attend club meetings of the different clubs in Baguio because it is in the Toastmasters club that I grew not only as a speaker and as a leader  but also as a person. The truth is, I became very active in Toastmasters because of the people in it. The bond I had with them, the care they're giving and the lessons they make me realize. Learning as a speaker is a far second reason. But of course I truly miss the proceedings in the Toastmasters meeting, the lessons I get from every speech and the evaluations given for the speakers and the entire meeting from which I learn from.

Hope to attend a Toastmasters meeting before the month ends :)

2nd Day in Davao (on our way to Samal Island)

In our 2nd day in Davao, despite wanting to sleep more, we woke up and took a bath and fixed our things as we need to be in Samal Island at aroung 10:00AM for the District Convention Registration. We left Tita's home at around 9:20 and we reached the wharf after 10-15minutes(same number of minutes from Davao Airport to the wharf.

entrance to the wharf going to Samal Island

The wharf ride is P10 per person. After paying, we went to the registration area where we wrote our name and the place where we came from. Maybe this is one way for them to know the number of tourists who visit the island.

Another way to go to the island is to take a bus where you'll pay P50. Since we are booked at a hotel just a few walks away from the entrance to the island or where the wharf stops, we didn't take the bus.

Filling up the registration form

The lower part of the wharf is for the vehicles.

entering the wharf

the lower part of the wharf

leaving the dock :)

then, at around 9:45, we reached our hotel. We registered first(luckily, we were able to get a room in the hotel where the Convention was held) then we checked in immediately after.

My journey as a Toastmaster

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I've been a member of Toastmasters International since April 2010. My best friend invited me there so I can see the club she's been telling me about. During the first meeting, I was really impressed with how they handle a meeting and how the club would truly help anyone who would like to have better communication and leadership skills. 

I have to admit though that when I was watching the tabletopics portion(a portion where the speakers are asked to do impromptu speeches) and the prepared speech portion(speakers will deliver speeches basing on the manual they'll get from Toastmasters International), I thought that what they were doing is really very easy. I thought I'm better than any of the speakers(except the first one during the tabletopics portion who became my crush after weeks..hihi). Maybe because then I have this pride of being a Debate Society member. I joined the club because I thought the meeting was fun and the members there were very welcoming and warm. 

Competent Communication Manual

The next meeting, I delivered my first speech from the Competent Communication Manual. I even planned on finishing all the speeches in the basic within 3months but then, it took me 2 years!I finished the 10 speeches just last April. While I was working on that manual, I also worked on the Competent Leadership Manual which I finished 3 months earlier. I wouldn't have been able to finish the manuals if my president didn't push me.haha!

During the first week of May, I joined the program called LEAP(Leadership Excellence Achievement Program). The program is 60-80 days and within those days, we're to achieve whatever goals we set. So, one of my goals in the program is to finish my Advance Communicator Bronze within the period of the program. The advance manuals are more difficult than the Competent Communication Manual so I was nervous but I was able to achieve the goal in 51 days(2 months). 

Advanced Communicator Bronze Pin

Just this morning, I received a mail from Toastmasters International. Since I became a member, I've only received monthly magazines so I thought the mail sent is for me as the club President.

Air Mail from Toastmasters International

Five-member Sponsor Outstanding Initiative Pin of Toastmasters International

When I saw the pin, that's when I remembered that last June, I was able to invite 5 of my friends in the program to join our Toastmasters club. Initially I told them to join another club since that club was formed by members who finished the program that we were taking but they said they wanted to join our club instead. Who am I to say no?hehe. Because of the 5 of them whom I was able to invite to be members, I received a very rewarding pin. Whenever I see this pin, I will always be reminded of my capacity to enroll people to what I am saying and enroll them on what I can do as well. 

Now, I'm an Advanced Communicator Bronze and a Competent Leader and I'm currently working on my Competent Leader Bronze norm. :)

My entry for:

Inspire Me Monday, Miscellany Monday