Meeting Recap: Wednesday, September 23, 2015 (Bull Session)

Dear APS Members and Guests,

The autumnal equinox was also the occasion for a “Bull Session” at APS. After getting photos taken at the “Charging Wall Street Bull” sculpture on lower Broadway, APS members arrived at 55 Water Street in a “bullish” mood. Toastmaster of the Day Marcelo Braga – previously unfamiliar with the American slang expression - led the bull charge. Welcome guests who joined the confabulation were Esther Jung and Helena Tang who served as Timer. “Confabulation” was the Word of the Day presented by Grammarian Georgia Jones.

Benjamin Franklin said “there are no gains without pains.” Manuel Saldana however does not believe this should apply to every aspect of life, especially to your health. With the assistance of his action figure “Racca,” Manuel demonstrated some exercises to help us have “No Pain, Yes Gain!” Evaluator Kadisha Currie liked the practical information given, but thought that Manuel’s title was confusing given the opening quote by Ben Franklin.

“My Special Someone” is a humorous tribute to Neerja Purang and is the Area Contest speech by Derek Chen. The inspirational and always smiling Neerja proves that life can indeed go in circles, especially when road closures render her GPS useless. A Round Robin evaluation offered Derek many good ideas like relaxing and smiling more, acting out the driving sequences and having Neerja attend his contest.

Neerja Purang gave a professional seminar and slide show on “What Leads us to Success?” According to Neerja the key elements are; 1) a clear vision of your goals 2) an action plan to make them happen 3) the focus needed to resist distractions, critics and naysayers 4) the passion needed to motivate your team to work together. Marcia Berry was happy to hear leadership philosophy from Neerja, who just led District 46 to a record year, and she loved the Zen archer story that illustrated the concept of focus. Marcia then suggested that Neerja display her passion from the very start, and include some personal stories from her year as District Governor.

Table Topics Master Harry Aneziris asked respondents to play favorites. Marcelo Braga said the best and happiest times of his life involve family, like when he first met his wife. Helena Tang said her favorite book right now is “Picture of Dorian Gray” because of the life lessons it portrays. Georgia Jones travels so much she doesn’t have a favorite vacation, but a trip to the Costa Rican rainforest stands out for its “Pura Vida.” Kadisha Currie’s favorite music is that of an inspirational nature, especially if it has a reggae beat.

General Evaluator Todd McKinney thanked Manuel and Kadisha for greeting guests and for the excellent room set up. Todd praised Marcia for the meeting theme and Bull photo idea, even though the logistics proved difficult to execute and still run the meeting on time.

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Todd McKinney

Secretary, Advanced Public Speakers