Toastmasters

Toastmasters Speech 2: Organize Your Speech

/ JA / 1 Comment

Kayaking

Good evening everyone.  By a show of hands, how many here have kayaked before?  

kayaking Dana Point

kayaking Dana Point

Kayaking has been a hobby of mine for many years.  It’s one of those activities that you can do no matter what physical shape you’re in and you can make it as strenuous or as easy as you would like it to be.  Choosing the type of water you would like to kayak is number 1. My first time kayaking was a spur of the moment decision on a day trip I took to Catalina.  I decided to go try it and went ocean kayaking for the first time.  I was in the water following a 2 minute how to session from the rental “guy”. It was during that first kayaking outing that I learned that I really liked it but before my 2 hours were up, I also learned that I could get myself into A LOT of trouble.  I had pulled out to explore one of the beaches around the island and by the time I went to get back out, I had a lot of trouble launching past the surf.  No matter how hard I paddled, the surf was stronger and I would end up back on the beach.  It took me a long while to get clear of the surf.  I wanted to share with you some of the dos and don’ts and hopefully inspire those who haven’t tried it to go out and kayak.

I mentioned that you can make it as strenuous as you would like.  I enjoy kayaking in rivers, lakes, bays and some ocean kayaking.  It’s really wonderful.  You get a great workout.  You can enjoy nature up close and personal.  You’re seated out on the open water almost at the same level with the water, feeling the calmness and the gentle wind.  You get to see wildlife front and center.  If you want to make it more intense, there are those who like to kayak off of waterfalls and in class 6 rapids.  They can be under water upside down and not worry.  It’s up to you what type of water body you want to go for.

Some of the kayaking areas I like include Dana Point Harbor, Newport Back Bay.  If you’re up to the drive, San Simeon and Moro bays are beautiful area and there are lots of lakes if you go inland in the San Luis Obispo County.

In addition to the types of water type you will kayak, choosing the type of kayak is important. Right after I tried out kayaking at Catalina, a friend recommended that I should buy one so we can go with them whenever they go out.  When I went shopping for a kayak, I wanted to get a tandem which is the type that seats two people.  The sales guy said that his advice is that if you want to stay married or keep your friendship, get single kayaks and don’t get a tandem.  I thought he’s just trying to sell more kayaks.  He did suggest we try out different types of kayaks before we buy them.  The next kayak trip was at Newport Back Bay and we rented the tandems.  We were kayaking pretty hard but just couldn’t get that kayak to row in a straight line.  It was slow getting across the water because we were going in a zigzag line.  After dodging giant yachts a few times trying to get across the windy bay, it was decided that single kayaks was the way to go.

When you rent a kayak, it usually is a sit on top that means your legs and body are sitting on top of the kayak.  The sit inside are the ones that typically have you from the waist down inside the kayak.  The sit on tops are less likely to flip and that’s why you see them at all the rental places.  You can be a first time kayaker and be fairly safe from tipping over.  You can choose a kayak with foot paddles.  That just means you can row like a bicycle instead of doing so by hand.  The shape of the kayak is also important.  Kayaks used for rapid water like class 1-6 rapids are usually very short.  Kayaks used for ocean kayaking are usually narrow in body and very long.

Think about how you will transport your kayak. Renting kayaks makes it easy to just show up and get on the water.  But if you do buy a kayak, you should also be mindful of how you will transport it.  I bought some J shaped racks that sit on top of the car.  The first time I tried to get the kayaks loaded, I gave the neighbors a good show.  I was on my driveway for an hour trying to figure it out.  Getting the J racks on top of the car then loading the kayak in it and tying it down was not very intuitive.

I have had lots of adventures that I can laugh about after the fact but when they happened, I thought I was in real trouble.  I mentioned being stranded on a remote beach off Catalina and almost being run over by super yachts at Newport Beach.  On my first trip with my own kayaks I locked my car keys in the car by slamming the hatch back down while the key was sitting just under it.  That made the car alarm to go off with my key in the car.  If it wasn’t for the group of friends I was with, I am not sure I would have been able to get through it.  Every time I go kayaking with them, they tease me about making sure my key holder that clips on my clothes is there.  I bought it right after that the embarrassing episode of locking myself out.  Another time I was kayaking the Kauai River and I underestimated our group’s ability to finish a 5 hour kayak and hike tour.   It was too much for some of the group and a couple of them ended up being stranded for a few hours until we got back to them.

These experiences taught me that who you kayak with is just as important as your gear is.  Make sure you’re with folks who have the same ability and also share your enjoyment for kayaking.  Kayaking is GREAT fun, fairly easy to do at any age or physical shape.  It’s inexpensive too.  You can rent a kayak for $20 and have a couple of hours of fun.  But like any activity, a little planning and taking precautions is definitely important and advised.  Remember to figure out what type of water body you will be kayaking, get the right kayak type, figure out your transport and choose your kayak group wisely.  Hope to see you out on the water.

Toastmasters Speech 1 – The Ice Breaker (6 minutes)

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CHANGE

Good evening fellow Toastmasters and guests. Tonight I will talk about change.  No, not the kind of change that’s in your pocket.  I joined Toastmasters to make a change in my life.  I wanted to become a better public speaker and to see if it can get easier with more practice.   I work for a City as a Director of Information Technology.  My role as a department director is to provide leadership and direction on all things technology.  I usually present to the council board reports on various technologies and why the city should pursue those technologies.  There are many reasons for my nervousness about public speaking.    Like many people, it’s an inherent fear.  In addition to that fear and just not liking it, I have the challenge of having to explain complex technologies to non-technical folks.

So here I am tonight seeking to make this change in my life.  For the most part, I pursue change and sometimes relish and enjoy it.  A lifetime of major changes has meant making big changes easier for me.  I mentioned that my line of work requires that I not only learn complicated technologies every few months and then convince everyone that changing systems out will be better for them.  For me, learning new technologies is a lot of fun, but for many, computers and technology makes them nervous and they don’t want to change the way they do things.

I have worked in the technology field for over 20 years.  Although I graduated with a degree in business, accounting and finance, when I began to work in that field I was more drawn to technology and automating the business I was working in.  I learned technology on my own and made a transition to begin a different career.  That career change served me well and I have never looked back.    

One of the big changes in my life came at age 13 when my family immigrated to the United States.  It was a complete culture shock.  I am originally from Iraq.  Many of you know Iraq because we’ve been at war with that county for a decade now.

My Dad was a very smart man.  He knew there were political shifts in Iraq and that his health was failing so he made the decision to bring us to the United States.  In 1976, prior to Saddam Hussein coming to power, my Dad had just returned from visiting his brother and sister in the US when he announced that we would be going on vacation to Greece.  He’d gone to the US because he had suffered a heart attack at age 42 and was putting his life in order.  He sent my Mom, 2 older sisters, myself and my younger brother off and said he would join us in Greece in a week or so.  I was a naïve 13 year old; it was my first vacation outside Iraq when we arrived in Athens, Greece.  That’s when I learned that we are not going back.  You see, my family is Christian Assyrians and Christians were/are a minority in Iraq.  If you follow the news you hear about Churches being blown up and Assyrians being kidnapped for ransom.

A week later, my father arrived in Athens and there was a lot of relief for the family.  He had managed to get us out of Iraq safely, sell our home and had our immigration paperwork done so we arrived in the US after a month or so stay in Greece.  In Iraq, if the government knew we were leaving the country or that we were selling our home, we would all be arrested and likely killed.  I feel blessed that he made that change possible for our family.

So besides the career, school, and country changes, I adapt to languages and cultures fairly easily.  I was only in Greece for a month and a half but I already picked up speaking some Greek. When I got to the U.S., I adapted quickly to the changes of being in a new country and learning a new language.  I learned to speak English within a couple of months thanks to watching cartoons and the batman series.

While I was preparing this speech, I did some math.  Considering that I started school at First grade skipping Kindergarten, I had attended 7 schools by High School and mind you I graduated high school at 16.  I attended 6 colleges and universities before I “found myself” and graduated from CSUF.  I have lived in 3 states, CA, IL and NY and have had 16 homes in the various countries and states.  That’s a lot of moving and a lot of change.

The changes I have shared are just a few examples with so many more that I have experienced.  And I make it sound like I am at ease with making change.  It’s true to some degree.  But while I adapt quickly to big change, I hold on and resist small change.  You see the world comes to a complete STOP if someone moves my books or knickknack or rearranges furniture at home.  Now that’s just too much change even for me! 

Thank you very much!