The Traveling Toastmaster

2006-03-14T02:30:00.000+13:00

Pictures from Pete's trip to Cardiff

2006-03-14T02:21:00.000+13:00

Miriam and Dan walking to work...

2006-03-14T00:38:00.000+13:00

London Corinthians

2005-10-27T03:55:00.000+13:00

At every London Toastmaster club I have attended, everyone has always said - "You must visit Corinthians". So I visited Corinthians - and what a club! Not only did they stick to their schedule, they also had the area TableTopic champ to treat us to a speech about the "Big Job" from the entertaining speeches advanced manual. Add another 3 ATM speeches and a general evaluation from 17 year TM veteran and you have a impressive display of TM values.
Things the club does well:

* The tabletopic mistress kept her introductions to under 30 sec, this allowed the contestants to interpret the topic as they liked and show their creative side.

* People got to vote for their best speaker/TableTopic speaker and write individual comments about the speeches (a constant theme throughout all the London clubs)

* Finished under the allocated time (nearly all the clubs I have ever attended have gone over time)

Things I could have done better during my table topics session:

* Make gestures with my feet as well as with my hands

* Introduce more humor into my topic ("Do I see the world as black & white or shades of grey")

London Cardinals Toastmasters

2005-10-24T01:48:00.000+13:00

London Cardinals Toastmasters was the first TM club I have visited in London. What made the club stand out for me was the professionalisim with how it was run.

The meeting started on time, had voting slips for best speaker/evaluator, an amazing website (www.londoncardinals.com) and (most importantly) was held in some nice digs!

Cole (the President) started the meeting with this contagous enthusiasm that everyone
caught. There was even a Profesional speaker from the US to evaluate the entire meeting - I never knew evaluations could be so humerous! Drew (the meetings timekeeper) was even nice enough to buy me my first British beer - cheers Drew!

London Calling

2005-10-06T01:12:00.000+13:00

First off I have to say that I was very impressed with the efficiency of EasyJet's flight from Schiphol (Amsterdam) to London. Ways they could make their operations even more efficient is by:

* Have an electronic check in system
* People being able to choose their aircraft seating position on-line
* Eliminate the second metal detector test

On to London, the first thing that hits you is the amount of people work in the centre of London. The only other place I've experienced that amount of people has been in Amsterdam during Sail '05. Then there's the traffic, only in Geneva did I see more congestion. The black cabs are everywhere, and I shudder to think what it was like before the congestion charge was introduced.

The tube isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. If I were to rate the mass transport systems of all the places I've been to, it would be (in descending order): Singapore's MRT (clean, cheap and safe - what more could you ask?), France's Metro (very old), London's Underground (train directions could be better), Netherlands NL (very expensive but the cleanest I've been in), and lastly Belgium's Metro (it's cheap, but a nightmare to navigate).

Accommodation is cheaper than I expected - I was able to find a dorm bed with breakfast in zone 2 for 19 NZD - bear in mind that it's the off season.

2005-09-24T00:57:00.000+12:00

Congrats go to this man who managed 3rd place in Toronto - Well Done!!

2005-08-28T23:44:00.000+12:00

Me by some anonymous tower

Paris

2005-08-28T23:11:00.000+12:00

Paris! The name itself conjures up all the preconceptions of romance, history, wine, baguettes, museums, and of course the Eiffel Tower. Are all these preconceptions justified? a big WEE!!

I'm strolling down a anonymous back street in the centre of Paris and I come across a monument that's older than civilization in NZ.
I'm sitting in the metro (which in itself is a museum) and an busker suddenly starts playing a typical French tune in the background.
Sitting down for dinner, a street seller offers to sell you a dozen red roses...

All these examples seem so cliche now that I'm back in the land of cheese, but once you're immersed in the intoxicating atmosphere of Paris - all these things seem so novel.

I did have one major disappointment - the Mona Lisa. I was underwhelmed by it seemingly A4 size - I imagined that the most analysed painting in the world would have a bigger footprint.
However, I was impressed by how the background was actually an extension of the models state of mind (plus the half smile\smirk)...

And on the Eiffel Tower... yes it's tall, old and surrounded by some impressive architecture. However I was more astonded by the surrounding lights that seem to extend to infinity when you're up the tower at night.

One major recommendation I have for future traveler's to Paris: Take a significant other - unless you're going for the history/architecture, Paris becomes like any other old European city.

On to London...

2005-08-27T00:13:00.000+12:00

Me and Mrs. Woon

2005-08-27T00:11:00.000+12:00

Bridesmaids + stranger

2005-08-27T00:09:00.000+12:00

One down, three to go...

La Roisre - French Alps

2005-08-26T23:47:00.000+12:00

My sister could not have chosen a more serene location to have her wedding. Surrounded by peaks on every side and with Mount Blanc in the background, the wedding was perfect.

My speech went well, I managed to get a few laughs (tip: speeches are more warmly appreciated after everyone has had a few glasses). My Father and the best man also gave great speech's, with each one revealing a little bit more of the brides/grooms history.

Apart from the celebrations, I managed to run the 8 km to Italy. The only hard part was the steep windy roads that were used for the beginning of the "The Italian Job" film.

So la Roisre - thanks for the memories, weather and experience. I promise I'll be back :)

2005-07-28T00:47:00.000+12:00

My main mode of transport and 19 windmills...

2005-07-28T00:44:00.000+12:00

The Belguim Royal Palace

2005-07-28T00:42:00.000+12:00

Monica Pissa in Brussels

2005-07-28T00:40:00.000+12:00

What happens when you have such an amazing holiday, that you forget about your burnt finger for a week.

2005-07-28T00:37:00.000+12:00

Wheat, cabbage, brocoli and lettece - all perfectly aligned

2005-07-28T00:34:00.000+12:00

Time for a silly photo (the classic move from the Karate Kid)

2005-07-28T00:32:00.000+12:00

Eating mussels with Thomas in Brussels...

Brussels - Belgium

2005-07-28T00:30:00.001+12:00

What Brussels has going for it is the number of old buildings that are still in existence.
What Brussels has going against it is a lack of building maintenance laws. I.e. like the laws the Netherlands has which specify what style of house you are allowed to build, how tidy you have to keep it, the height of your hedges (and you get a strongly worded letter if you don't maintain your house).
This means that in Belgium you get very poorly maintained houses and a clash of continuity when a 21st century house is built next to a 17th century building.

On my trip around Brussels I did meet Thomas who provided me with a insight in the life of a merchant ship seaman. Short summary: their life is very un-PC. e.g. after 9/11 all the huge Merchant ship companies fired all the Muslims without regard to employment law. However he has set foot in places I have only flown over and experienced a whole range of cultures (French women he said, are the most beautiful in the world). And he's also an excellent cook which he demonstrated by cooking the most delicious mussels I've ever eaten (and by using such phrases as "the sauce will be too dominating").

2005-07-28T00:30:00.000+12:00

Me being showing my patriotic side in the EU parliment (god the tour was boring...)

2005-07-28T00:21:00.000+12:00

I couldn't resist...

Prairie in North Belgium (where the three remaining buffalo's exist)

2005-07-17T19:34:00.000+12:00

Look at my clothes I brought for the wedding mum!!

2005-07-17T05:50:00.000+12:00

All that I need now is a pink tie...