April 22, 2014 Theme: QingMing ( Tomb Sweeping Festival )

We had a wonderful meeting today.  Yanhong was our Toastmaster today.  The theme was QingMing (Tomb Sweeping Festival).  QingMing is a Chinese National holiday that takes place 15 days after the Spring Equinox. It is a time to honor those who have died through tragic events such as Tanimin Square.  Special cakes and bright green dumplings are served at this festival.

Linda was our first speaker today.  She completed project # 6 from the CC manual.  The title of her presentation was A Kite Out of Site.  Linda shared a touching story of how a gentleman she knew compared kite flying to child rearing.  At first with a kite and child you are trying to stabilize it and guide it.  Then with guidance, they start to soar. After a while they soar so high you can’t see them. However the string is always attached to you. This becomes an everlasting bond whether they are out of site or not.

Robert was our second speaker. He also completed project #6 from the CC manual. The title of his presentation was From Test Patterns to Screensavers to Slow TV.   Robert talked about how with the invention of electricity (170 years ago) technology has evolved.  Test patterns on TV are just screen savers. Television itself is just animated screen savers.  Now with computers (streaming) one can watch an entire season in one sitting this is called binge viewing.  If we are not careful, a child can change from an irresistible force to an immovable object.

Jean was our third speaker today.  She completed project #5 from the CC manual.  The title of her speech was How Mentors Can Help.  Jean took us back to 1995 when she attended her first Toastmasters meeting.  She told us how she was hesitant at first to get help from her mentor. Jean then led a discussion on what mentors can do for mentees. She also inquired what mentees would like from their mentors. Jean mentored all of us on the mentoring process.

Today’s meeting was extra special because we had two guests join us. Welcome Rie and Pauline.  We are glad you joined us and we hope to see you again soon.