A Toast to Toastmasters

I joined Toastmasters International in May 2011.

I heard of Toastmasters while I was studying at University of California, Irvine about a year or two ago. At that time, however, my reaction was, “there is NO way that I’m going to participate!” Fair enough. I mean, who wants to be giving speeches in front of an audience when the thought of standing in front of two people is tormenting. I didn’t mind learning about public speaking-how important it is and how to be a good speaker-but I was not in the least interested in actually doing it.

That is where the problem lies for many of us. Listening to lectures titled “How to be a Great Speaker in Ten Days” or “How to Get More Twitter Followers” is not automatically going to make you a better speaker or get more people to ‘follow’ you on twitter. 

Finally, I decided to check out Toastmasters this April. I went to their main website and searched for a local club. I found a club in Cypress,CA called “The Talking Heads of Cypress” and saw that they were having a communications workshop in the month of April.

I was hooked after the first day. I met some of the nicest people who were dedicated to becoming better communicators and helping each other along the way. During this workshop, I gave two speeches and was asked to give impromptu answers to questions during a section of the meeting called “Table Topics”.

I officially became a Toastmaster in May and have given four speeches and participated in lots of Table Topics. Additionally, I became secretary of my local club and am ‘Contest Chair’ for a competition taking place this month. My job as ‘Contest Chair’ is to recruit volunteers, assign them a role, tell them their job requirements, and make sure they do their job on the day of the contest. I am also in close contact with our Area Governor (for Toastmasters International) and she has become my mentor.

If I hadn’t joined Toastmasters, I would not have gotten a chance to experience leadership. In my 22 years of existence, I had never taken a leadership role in any of the clubs or activities that I was a part of. It’s very different with Toastmasters. Everyone encourages you to become part of the leadership team and there are mentors available that can help you along the way.

I am so grateful for Toastmasters and I encourage all of you to join as well. Visit the website and click on ‘find a club near you’ and follow the prompts to locate a club near you. There is a club in almost every country! If you don’t have one close to you, start one! It’s a great way to improve your communication and leadership skills.

To read my ice-breaker speech, click here. To read my second speech, click here.

Do you know of any clubs that help you develop a skill? Make sure to mention them in the comments. I would love to know!

Technorati Tags: speech,toastmasters,public speaking

I’m Linkin’ it: Recyclebank.com

Just yesterday, I heard a speech promoting frugality in our consumption of food, electricity, water, etc. The speaker mentioned a time when his colleagues went to Germany on a business trip. They stopped over at a restaurant, ordered some food, and then (since they enjoyed it so much and had the money to spend) ordered some more. When they were finished, while they went to pay, an older lady sitting across the room called the police. The police officer fined them a good sum of money. What was their crime? They ordered more food than they ate and the rest was wasted.

Whoa! I didn’t know that existed. Americans are among the top in consumption and wastage, yet we have nothing in place like that. Even in a month like Ramadan, which is dedicated to consuming less food, Muslims in the US aren’t exactly practicing the true spirit of Ramadan.

I remember reading a poem written by a Chinese lower class citizen. One of the lines of the poem mentioned how the emperor had milk spoiling in his reserves while the rest of China was starving. Every time my mom has to throw away milk, that poem comes to mind.

What if there was an incentive to recycling and ‘greening’ our lives? Would more people do their part? That’s exactly what Recyclebank is set to do. Not only do they have tips and tricks on living green, but they have incentives so that you can feel good about recycling. You earn points at Recyclebank by recycling and taking pledges. It’s easy to earn points and you can redeem these points to buy coupons (valued higher than the regular newspaper coupons), gift cards, or magazine subscriptions. For example,to get a one-year subscription to Redbook, Whole Living, Better Homes and Gardens, you only need 115 points and it’s easy to get to 200 points. 

So, join Recyclebank today to get involved in making our world greener! It’s absolutely FREE to join!

Once you join, click on EARN REWARDS and play the Green Your School Challenge. Just the challenge earns you 110 points. After that, take other pledges on the page to earn more points. Once you receive at least 115 points, you can order a one-year subscription to the following magazines:

Better Homes and Gardens
Food Everyday
Good Housekeeping
Bazaar
Marie Claire
Midwest Living
Parents
Popular Mechanics
Redbook
Seventeen
Siempre Mujer
Town and Country
Whole Living

Remember, you can earn enough points to order the above magazines in one day! I’ve already ordered mine. Join Recyclebank! It’s free so you have nothing to lose.

Note: Some programs are only for residents of certain countries. Make sure to check if it is available in your country.

Technorati Tags: food,recycle,health,links,muslims,ramadan

Mom’s Ramadan Recipe: Chhole

What you need:

2 cans chickpeas, drained and washed
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon yogurt
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
Salt, to taste
Water, as required
Optional: 1 cubed potato

For garnish:
Chopped cilantro
1 sliced tomato
1/4 sliced onion
1 chopped green pepper

How to make it:

In a small bowl, mix the turmeric, salt, red pepper, ground cumin powder, and 3 tablespoons of water.

Heat oil in pan on low heat. Add above mixture and stir well. Keep adding 1 tablespoon of water every 30 seconds for 3 minutes while stirring (so that the mixture doesn’t dry out). Finally, add potatoes with another 2 tablespoons of water and stir. Add chickpeas and 2 cups of water. Cover and simmer on low heat.

Meanwhile, mix yogurt and tamarind paste in a separate bowl and keep aside.

Once water has evaporated and potatoes are tender, remove from heat. Let cool for 5 minutes (the chickpeas should be tender as well, but not too soft).

Add tamarind and yogurt mixture to the chickpeas and mix well. Place in serving bowl and garnish as desired.

Technorati Tags: recipe,food,ramadan,muslims

Ramadan Season 2011

Today was the first day of Ramadan. Out of the 12 months in the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan is when Muslims are supposed to fast. Fasts begin at sunrise and last until sunset. My family starts their day by waking up really early and then fueling themselves for the day ahead. After the morning prayer, everyone goes about their day as they normally would, but without eating or drinking. About an hour before sunset, preparation begins for Iftar, the time at which we break our fast.

People usually greet each other by saying Ramadan Mubarak or Ramadan Kareem. [Because of the recent events in the Middle East, many Egyptians are avoiding anything with the term Mubarak in it.]

Click here to read last year’s post on Ramadan.

I have a few goals this Ramadan that I wish to accomplish:

(1) Memorize Juz ‘Amma

Explanation: The Koran, the Holy Book of Muslims, is divided into 30 parts to make it easier to read in a month, or to memorize it. The whole Koran contains 114 Surah (chapters). Juz ‘Amma is the 30th part of the Koran. Since the Surah are shorter in this part of the Koran, Muslims start memorizing the Koran with Juz ‘Amma.

For a better explanation of what a Juz is, click here.

(2) Memorize Surah Mulk

Explanation: In simple terms, a Surah is a chapter of the Koran. Each Surah has a name and this particular one is called Surah Mulk. Since Surah Mulk is 30 ayaat (verses), it is an ideal Surah to memorize during Ramadan (which also lasts for 30 days), which means we memorize one ayah (verse) per day.

To access Surah Mulk, click here.

(3) Read Islamic fiction/non-fiction

Explanation: To keep with the spirit of Ramadan, I want to promote Muslim women writers. I will read books, essays, short stories, and anything else written by Muslim women and review it on my blog.

I will be using a Facebook page created by a friend for recommendations. Click here to take a look.

(4) Reach out to my non-Muslim connections

Explanation: This is probably one of the most important goals I have this Ramadan. I have a lot of non-Muslim friends and acquaintances, which is why I wanted to reach out and include them in my Ramadan celebrations [I have already asked one of my friends to fast with me for one day].

In the coming days, I will be sharing book reviews by Muslim women writers and some recipes of my mom’s Iftar dishes.

^Iftar feast, clock-wise starting from upper left: dahi bade, chhole, pakore (traditional Indian/Pakistani cuisine for Ramadan).

How are you planning to spend your Ramadan? Do you have any goals? If you are not Muslim, what are your thoughts on Ramadan? If you have any questions, feel free to ask them too!

Technorati Tags: ramadan,muslims,islamic,food,koran

She Writers 2nd Anniversary!

How cool would it be if there was a place for women writers of all backgrounds to come together, share ideas, learn from each other, and grow in the process?

Wouldn’t it be great if aspiring writers could connect with established ones to gain insight on the process of writing and publishing?

How about two women from different religious faiths sharing their stories about their experience growing up?

Well, there’s something out there just like that and it’s called “She Writes”. I joined this network of female authors, publishers, and bloggers almost a year ago (August 2010) and am enjoying the virtual company of my fellow writers.

Here’s a chance for you to not only join She Writes, but also meet some of the lovely ladies face-to-face at a meet-up near you!

She Writes 2nd Anniversary is coming up on June 29th, 2011 and there are meet-ups being held all over the place! To give you an idea, just in Southern California where I live, I know of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego Counties each having their own meet-ups! That gives you a chance to meet your fellow writers without having to travel too far from where you live.

If you see that there is no meet-up near you, you can start your own. It doesn’t take too much planning! Follow these easy steps to celebrate She Writes 2nd Anniversary:

1. Join She Writes, if you haven’t already (Just do it!)

Visit She Writes

2. Click here to visit the Volunteer HQ page, where you can find more information about the She Writes celebration. Read the discussions and posts.

3. Click here to find a meet-up near you or create one of your own.

4. Attend a meet-up, have fun, and make some new connections!

Here’s the info about meet-ups in Orange County:

Nirvana Grill, 303 Broadway Street, Laguna Beach, CA
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 6:00 PM

Java Joe's, 4973 Yorba Ranch Road, Yorba Linda, CA
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 7:00 PM

Technorati Tags: she writes,she writes anniversary,event,she writes celeration,celebration,community news,social networks