Change Is Good!

(Toastmasters Presidency Speech)

I’ve said it once, I’m going to say it for long – change is good! Why, how, when, by whom, to whom or to what extent are only variables. Change should be the constant, as paradoxical as it may sound. To me, it’s pure logic! Many things have changed recently in my life. Yes, I’m going to use it as an excuse (again!) for ditching on the blog. No, I’m not going to bore you to death with them. I just reached a point when I need to put the wobbling things tremendously revolving like drunk atoms around my head in their place. Writing on the blog is one of them. Procrastinating it day by day is not the solution. I feel I cannot find the mood anymore to write long reviews, the desire to read new books to be reviewed afterwards, or the imagination to improvise. Hence the luring of time and the befooling of expectance. But things are about to change. Because change is good. No matter why, how, when, by whom, to whom or to what extent.

About the change in my life I treasure the most lately I want to tell you today. I’m sure you remember my Toastmasters’ stories (see my #1^st speech and my #2^nd speech) and how excited I have been since May last year when I joined and, even more, since June when I became the Secretary of the club. Things have followed the path I like to believe it was intended for me and today, at the beginning of 2012, I am happy and extremely proud to call myself the President of Brasov Toastmasters. Below you can see the recording of the speech I delivered as part of the contest. Given the poor quality of the image, of the sound and also my trembling voice strangled by emotions, I will also add the script of the speech.

Vote for me now! Listen to me, this is the right thing to do, you need me, I’m going to be the best president this club will ever have! If you vote for me now I promise you won’t have to pay for your membership renewals ever again, but you will be paid to come here, I will bring in mass-media and all of you will become famous, we will have free snacks and drinks at each meeting, just vote for me now and your whole life will change!

Was I good?! Did I do it right? This is how am I supposed to make you to vote for me? Fellow Toastmasters, distinguished guests, I can’t think of any reason good enough why would I be a better president than Cristian (i.e. the person I competed with for the position) or the other way round. Cristian and I made a great team these past few months and I’m sure we’ll keep up the good work together, no matter which one of us will be entitled with the president denomination.

Nevertheless, here’s what I can tell you at this moment – I understood that by becoming a president one doesn’t need to build a whole new cart, but polish the wheels of the old one and make it glide along smoothly in the right direction. I understood then that there is no right direction, but only the path led off by one’s vision and guided by ambition, courage, initiative and willpower all in the hands of the right leader. I finally understood that there is no such thing as a right leader, but someone who knows how to carry out extraordinary reactions out of ordinary people’s actions.

I was afraid I didn’t have the inner skills I needed in order to become the president of this club. And then I realized I am a leader in so many areas of my life and this not because I was born that way, but because I learned how to turn a passion into a vision and then take action to shape it into reality. I don’t have to be right all the times. I don’t have to be afraid of taking risks. I don’t have to always say “yes” – saying yes is way too easy! I don’t have to give answers, but propose solutions. I don’t have to display my leadership strategies on a silver platter in front of you right now so you can vote me, because anyhow you won’t be able to touch them, feel them, smell or taste them, but I’m sure you will find them in me when the time will come.

Fellow Toastmasters, distinguished guests, as an American master of wit once said, “only one man in a thousand is a leader of men” (and I’m sure this man could easily be Cristian), but, he goes on, … “the other 999 follow women”!

Below, you can read the article on the first page of the club’s newsletter for December (elections took place on November 15), where Cristian and I talked about how it felt like competing against each other and the way we felt back then, when everything was said and done (I should mention that he was also already an officer; while I was the Secretary he was the Sergeant at Arms, now he is the VP of Education and I couldn’t be happier to have him!). Probably you are wondering why is that I posted only my speech and not also Cristian's. The thing is that the recording of our speeches is personal, so you had to be there :)

On November 15, Brasov Toastmasters Club had its first officer competitive election for the 2012 presidency.  What was it like to compete for a leadership position, and what are the thoughts of the candidates now?

Roxi:  I’ve been in Toastmasters for seven months, and the time has flown by like none other! Now I’m smiling, but a few weeks ago I was really frightened. I didn’t know if I had grown enough to reach for the top position. It was because of you, the Toastmasters members and dear friends, that I realized how much I had actually grown, and that physical time should not be a determining factor for me anymore.

I first came to a Toastmasters meeting as a guest in April, joined the club in May, and became a board member (secretary) in June. Since then my life has totally changed. And I’m not using big words here! Toastmasters has been my greatest life-changing experience so far, and I intend to keep on making the best of it!

Not long before the election day, I said to myself, “this is the right thing to do – I have to do it, I want to do it, I can do it!” I put my heart and soul in this election. I knew that competing with Cristian would be fun, because we are very different in so many aspects, yet we make such an amazing team together! Each of us unveiled himself in front of the audience as we truly are. Both of us had serious intentions, both had a vision and ideals, both were dedicated members, both had gotten involved in the club’s projects, and we both knew where we were going so we could lead the way with the head held high. Nevertheless, only one of us could win, and I feel I won twice. First, because I am the new President of Toastmasters Brasov; second, because I have Cristian on my team.

My vision for the club?  There is only one way to go – up and forward! I think we still have to improve on many levels, but we are on the right track and in the right environment to do this. One goal is for us to become a President’s Distinguished Club by June 2012, but I don’t see it as THE priority. The priority is to accomplish those requirements for our individual development, and if this leads us to another distinction, then good for us! Our aim is not to check as many speeches, leadership roles, or distinctions on a list, but to make them worthwhile for ourselves and through this, for the club.

I want our club to evolve, increase in membership, become wiser, renowned, more experienced, more awarded and yet… not to change at all, because it is exactly how it is supposed to be!

Cristian:  I’ve been in Toastmasters for seven months and have enjoyed being the Sergeant at Arms for the past six months. When you're the first and last person people see at the weekly club meeting, members tend to speak with you more. I've made connections and friends who have helped me with the necessary materials this way. 

Of course I wanted to win the competition to be the 2012 president!  So did Roxi. Both of us knew that we had a 50-50 chance to win, and that it all depended on the speech that night. I was sad that I lost, but that's how it is in a competition, and I trust she'll do a great job as a president.

Both Roxi and I want our club to achieve the President's Distinguished Club award, and with some work, I think we can achieve it.  However, my bigger priority at the moment is to see more speeches from those who are almost ready to finish their CC manual and also from those with advanced manuals. We haven't had a lot of action from them lately. I want the new members and visitors to be amazed and encouraged as I was at my first few meetings!  I heard some great speeches!   

Another project I think we should develop is our mentoring program.  Several of the more experienced speakers have now offered to be mentors, and that’s great for our members.  I also want members to have a thirst to speak more often and strive for excellence with their speeches. 

I’m excited about 2012!  I know this board will work together to continue building a high quality, professional, and enjoyable club for everyone.

Cristian & I, a month after the elections

Change is good. I just hope I will be good enough for the change.

Don’t BOOK Your Addiction, FACE It!

(Toastmasters International, “Competent Communication”, project 2)

LATER EDIT (10.09.2011)

1. the Speech Marathon, went great!
2. funny as it may sound, the only answers received to the last question in this post were written on my Facebook profile and not here, on the web blog :))
3. the good/ right/ proper/ expected answer to my question (Facebook is the second most popular name that starts with an F and ends with a K, which is the first one) is, (OBVIOUSLY!!!!) "Feeding the ducks in the parK"!

On her deathbed, an old woman desperately wanted to see her grandson. When he came to her bed, she told him: “My dear boy, I feel I’m going to die soon. I want you to have all my belongings – my 3 villas, the farm with all the animals, the orchard and my entire lifetime treasure – 250 million dollars. They are all yours, use them wisely!”. Completely stunned, the guy said: “Thank you so much, grandma!! But where are all these?”. Breathing her last, grandma answered: “On Facebook…”.

            Exactly one month ago I delivered my second speech during a Toastmasters club meeting. I had postponed it so many times these past couple of months, that I felt really embarrassed to do it again, even though I had realized I didn't have the time to prepare it as I would wanted to. I felt a little disappointed, because although the subject chosen was of great interest and also my comic intentions have been properly understood by my fellow Toastmasters, the delivery process per se seemed quite poor to me, at least compared to my first speech. This is why I was really glad when Rinda, our dear club coach, suggested me to deliver it once again, during the Speech Marathon we are hosting on Tuesday, September 6^th at Ceai Etcaetera (instead of our weekly regular meeting at Prefectura). I’m not used to second chances, so I immediately grabbed this one and took a fast hold of it!

            For those of you who are not familiar with the Competent Communication Manual we are using in order to learn how to properly organize and deliver our speeches, I will briefly tell you what was the assignment I had to follow. The second project in the manual is called Organize Your Speech and its objectives are as follows:

- select an appropriate outline which allows listeners to easily follow and understand the speech

- make the message clear, with supporting material directly contributing to that message

- use appropriate transitions when moving from one idea to another

- create a strong opening and conclusion

            A well organized speech has four strong benefits for the audience: it is easier to understand, easier to remember, more credible and more enjoyable. I wandered through many possible topics, till I have decided I found the perfect one – up to date, challenging and, sometimes, even life-changing: the Facebook experience, or, truth be said, the Facebook obsession. Please find below the script of my second speech. A mention is required – this is a slightly changed shape of the speech I delivered on August 2^nd. Relying on the feed-backs I had received, and on the evaluation I had been given, I decided to draw some minor alterations to the initial form. Nevertheless, the changes are almost intangible.

SPEECH  #2

The Thin Line between Fad and F.A.D.

    Do you know what’s the first thing a Facebook faddist does when he sees that outside is snowing? Obviously, he updates his status on Facebook: “It’s snowing!!”. And do you know what does an F.A.D. fellow instantly reply to his status? “Where, where? Share the link!”.

      I think it’s time to introduce myself: Fellow Toastmasters, distinguished guests, hello, my name is Roxi and I’m a...

1. Why do we think we need a Facebook account?

    Being a Facebook user nowadays is like being a biped breathing air.  (addressing to someone in the audience who doesn’t have one) “You don’t have a Facebook account?! Oh, my! How is that possible? Don’t you have electricity or what’s wrong with you?!” – more or less, this is the reaction we, the almighty Facebook users, pass out to those who think one real life is enough, no need for a virtual parallel one. Not having a Facebook account nowadays is like going invisible for the great majority who owns one.

     Even if you may find it high-sounding, Facebook is literally taking over the world. Everyone from eager-to-fit-in teenagers, to jobless spouses, educated business people or trendy grandparents has joined the phenomenon. I remember how I ended up being a part of this vicious circle. My ex boyfriend, a person who had deeply hated all these socializing sites, decided one day to create an account, only to play a game. From that day on, I had no other choice but to listen to him and all my other friends talking about how great neighbours they were, of how one of them was able to pick the other’s golden egg yet not fast enough to catch his pig and, long story short – eventually, they got me enslaved. For around 10 months I was unreachable. All my life (and when I say all, all it is!) had been planned around the hours my vegetables needed to fully grow, my trees to be harvested and my animals to be fed and taken care of.
       Fortunately, at least after 10 months stupidly wasted, my Farmville obsession came to an end. Unfortunately, it was followed by a new one, the Facebook obsession. You may take it as a joke, but some specialists labeled this so-called obsession as being a sort of disease and they have even come up with a name for it: F.A.D. = Facebook Addiction Disorder, a condition that approximately 350 million people all around the world are suffering from. But how do we now where and when do we end being Facebook faddists and start being true F.A.D.s?      

2. When do we know we are becoming Facebook addicts?

    Let’s take some for instances. I think we may start considering having a problem if we set Facebook as starting page on our internet browsers. Then, besides of the obvious fact that we check our profile ten times an hour, we also have it open on at least 3 internet tabs at a time. Moreover, it’s not only that we can spend hours doing something on Facebook, but we can as easily spend hours doing NOTHING on Facebook! We have a lot of photo albums and we actually take the trouble to tag each and every person in our photos. Not to say that we get all like “hey guys, guys, come, gather all around, this one is for Facebook!” when taking a photo.

    We get all excited when we receive a like, we rely on Facebook to remember birthdates and also to notify us about a soon-to-come party or event. We actually start to believe that “poking” is a valid form of flirting and we allow unauthorized comments to influence personal decisions.

    Of course, there are other more alarming cases like when we start replacing real dates with Facebook virtual dates, when we become anxious and even nervous to find out what might had been posted on our wall while we were gone, or when 8 out of 10 friends on our friends’ list are totally strangers we treat as old buddies. To sum up, in my opinion, till we don’t cross this line, we are only faddists, trapped in a trend that will most surely vanish sooner or later. After we cross it, this is when we may consider having an F.A.D. issue.

3. What can we do to step out of this?

       I believe there is no better recipe than the one you prescribe to your own needs. So here is mine; it consists of 5 types of pills which I take on a regularly basis, so I don’t forget what I am throwing myself into. Consider the following cure:

    
    ● Facebook is like prison – we write on walls and get poked by people we don’t know. It may sound friendly and fun at the beginning, yet on a second thought it’s actually quite creepy.

    ● Facebook doesn’t make us skinny, nor our friends fat. That is to say, the image of ourselves we try to fashion up by means of this socializing site is fooling no one in the long run, but us.

   ● Friendship on Facebook is like peeing in your pants; everyone instantly notices it and talks about it, yet you are the only one who knows that the feeling it brings down on your legs is the only warm thing such a friendship can offer you.

   ● Some say I would rather check my Facebook than face my check book. I say once in a while quit Facebook and face the books on your nightstand. Signing off will surely pay off.

    ● Make your own “I couldn’t care less” button on Facebook. Take a break. Close your eyes. Log out. Stop involving. Stop mourning on your wall. Stop kidding yourself – there is no such thing as “it’s complicated”; you’re single or, even worse, the other one is not. As simple as that! Admit once and forever life is not Facebook- like – you cannot delete anyone off your page and take back things you’ve said. You cannot step out of everything by going offline – such things as Oh my, Jesus is coming! Look busy! – don’t actually work in real life. Care to actually stop caring for everything going on on your Facebook home page.

    Dear friends, this is the cure I would suggest you to follow, if you don’t want to give up Facebook, but neither turn into an F.A.D. fanatic. Fad people, as well as F.A.D. people are people like you and me. Some say the glass is half full, some others say it is half empty. As for myself, I like to say “Hey, if you ain’t gonna drink that, hand it over”, but for this I need a real glass and a real hand to take it out of. Fellow Toastmasters, distinguished guests, my name is Roxi and there is no way Facebook would ever stop me from rising a glass with my real friends!

       As I’ve said, the alterations in the speech shape are minor. The major problem, which I hope to cast away by means of this second delivery, is in the way I had presented it. I didn’t have time to prepare it very well, so I looked a little too much down on my notes, fact that made me quite insecure and also didn’t allow me to focus on vocal variety, body language and eye contact. Not to mention my common issue – I talked very fast, first because I was nervous, second because I was afraid I won’t finish the speech in time and third… well third because this is the way I usually speak J. This is probably the main aspect I need to work at. The purpose of my speech was to approach a matter of great importance nowadays in a funnier and relaxing way, to settle it in the imaginary background of an AA meeting (FA meeting, in this case) and to ground the whole discussion on a pun: Fad (caprice, crank) vs. F.A.D. (Facebook Addiction Disorder). I realized afterwards, when I received the recording of my speech, that I didn’t allow the audience to assimilate all these subtle aspects, moreover I didn’t grant them time to laugh at my jokes. Consequently, a slower pace would be the first improvement I need to proceed at during this second delivery. You can see below the evaluation and feed-back sleeves I have received for this first delivery (click on the photos to enlarge).

          

       For those of you who are interested to come to the Speech Marathon we are hosting Tuesday, September 6^th @ Ceai Etcaetera, please contact me and I will give you further information. You don’t have to prepare a speech or do anything else, just be there. It's just a way to get to know us better (and helplessly fall in love and then join, as all of us did J). Give it a try, it’s worth every sip of tea you’ll take!  

      

           I would like to know your opinion about Facebook. 
              Do you have a facebook account (of course you do!)? 
              How addicted are you (I assume we all are, to a certain extent)? 
              How does Facebook influence your personal/ professional life? 
             Oh, and did you know that Facebook is the second most popular name that starts with an F and ends with a K? Do you happen to guess which the first one is? (I will come back with the answer, if no one guesses it). 
          Thanks for reading and staying tuned! Toddles!

       

       

Be THE one, not ANYone!

(Toastmasters International, “Competent Communication”)

[Out of consideration for my fellow Toastmasters and our dear coach, Rinda Reiss, I will write this entire piece in English.]

            Not long ago, someone told me I should find something to believe in. This someone also told me that no matter how many friends you have, how many plans you make and how many achievements you get, the end of the day will always find you alone. Not alone, but with yourself, if you know how to make this relationship something different from solitude. I laughed. I needed nothing to believe in! I was wrong. Then, I chose the next (not best, but next) “thing” to believe in. Wrong once again. But this “thing”, by means of the disappointment, sadness and helplessness it brought, made me actually feel on my own skin how lonely I was, even though surrounded by friends, fun and activities. So yes, at the end of the day it’s you. No matter the money you make that day, the friends you meet, the things you learn, the people you help or the books you read if you’re not comfortable with your own company. So I chose to believe in me. It’s not easy at all, but I’m working at it every day!

            This decision brought changes in my old habits and gallantry to undertake new ones. Till now, everything was for the best (except I keep finding no time to write on the blog, but I promise this will change, too)! Probably the most extraordinary out of all these new things that made room in my life recently is joining TOASTMASTERS, an International Club for Public Speaking. I had no idea I would enjoy it so much. In fact, when I have heard of it I actually didn’t want to go, not even as a guest, not to mention as a member, so I may say I landed there by chance, not by will. It seems that one hour was more than enough to picture my life in brighter colours – the motivational, optimistic speeches, wonderful, forthcoming people, homey atmosphere, and an amount of things to learn in one hour that (sometimes) outbalance the ones I take advantage of during the entire week! Toastmasters is a chance I would recommend anyone to avail oneself of. No matter what your goals are, Toastmasters will prove useful in the long run on so many levels of your life.  

            Being a Toastmasters’ member offers you a lot, but also requires quite a lot. You learn how to develop yourself, how to wisely use your time, how to be a good speaker, a competent leader, how to criticize constructively, how to teach others and how to let yourself be taught. Toastmasters is using everything you’ve got for your best, be it good or not so good skills, behaviours, attitudes or ways of thinking. As a brand new fresh member, I was given the manuals of the club. About the first of them, the CC (Competent Communication) manual, I want to tell you in this post. The manual has 10 projects that will materialize in 10 speeches. Last week I found the courage to carry forth my first one, the Ice Breaker. The aim of this project was to begin speaking before an audience, to discover speaking skills I already had and skills that needed some attention. The time span was four to six minutes, and I had to talk about myself (only the first project has an assigned topic, the rest only tell you the objectives you have to accomplish, but you get to choose the subject and everything). I don’t say this often, but I was pretty proud of how it turned out, not because of what I’ve said, but about how I managed to say it. Here you have the final form of my first Toastmasters speech, I delivered on the 7^th of June:

the CC manual

             I Can Do It Proverbially!

            I want to begin by telling you that lately I feel I’m all in for the small things life can offer me.

            Till quite recently I had been wondering through life searching for various things I thought I imperiously needed – a perfect job, perfect friends, a perfect love relationship, a perfect hair-do, a perfect attitude and way of behaving in order to impress the others, a perfect EVERYTHING, all these while constantly reproaching myself how imperfect I was. I missed a lot of moments. I missed a lot of chances. I missed a lot of fun, smiles and crazy things. And then I was busy feeling sorry for what I lost, so other moments passed by while I was sniffing in my fist. But I finally got it. There is no use to regret things I missed once, but things I will let go from now on. This is why now I really believe my life can and should be proverbial!

               I love many things and I think I put it right if I say I’m a passionate being. I do not have special or extraordinary passions, but I’m passionate about them in a special and extraordinary way. Let me give you some proverbial for instances.

             I think you are all familiar with the saying “A Muffin a day, keeps the doctor away”, isn’t it?! Well let me tell you, my Muffin sure knows how to do his job flawlessly! My white little fellow is my pride and joy for a year now and he’s getting by each day cuter, fluffier, smarter and lovelier. I let him in my life in a moment of affliction and since then he made my days brighter and warmer. Of course, we sometimes fight. For instance when he carries his food into my bed and hides it under my pillow or when he is mad at me for leaving him alone and punishes me with some wet marks on the black leather chairs in my room. But he’s my everyday medicine and that is all that it counts!

            Another saying that I enjoy is the well-known “A dress in need is a bless indeed”J. Call me shallow, but all that I need to see in the elevator’s mirror each morning is a lovely dress, a not so bad hair-do, my matching bracelets on the left hand and a wide, confident smile. If I can say checked, checked, checked and checked when getting off the elevator that means my day will start at its best. I am truly passionate about fashion and individual style, without being a fashion addict or obsessed with the new arrivals on the catwalk. I rejoice in reading fashion books, critical books upon this matter and international web logs. I have to admit that not once or twice had I been called superficial by having this passion, yet who do you think those preachy fellows call when they need a related piece of advice? So, if I may dare to put it this way, call me superficial, as long as you call me!

             I love reading in general, not only fashion related stuff and out of this passion came into being my personal web log, a virtual space dedicated to my smart friends, about my other smart friends, the books. As the old saying goes, “God gives the books, but he doesn’t read them for you”, I always find a blessing in each good book I read. Reading helps me let loose of all the frustrations and negative feelings I accumulate during the day and always enhances my horizon and perspectives. Reading can do no harm, so far from me to understand why so many people run as fast as they can when coming to books. None of us had been born cultivated, but we can all grow so if we allow ourselves the pleasure and benefits of reading.

            Also out of reading but this time out of experience, too, I reached the conclusion that “The grass is always greener on the other side of the… planet!”, more specifically in Asia. In the last 3 years I developed a great passion for the Chinese and Japanese languages and cultures. During my one year stay in Sibiu I got the chance to study Chinese language at Confucius Institute, and, later on the next summer, to attend the summer school classes at Beijing Language and Culture University. This almost one month spent in China totally changed my life on so many levels and it was by far the most wonderful thing I have experienced so far. At present, I am a student of Japanese language at Musashino Institute.

            Last but somehow first on my passions’ list, goes the saying “If you want a thing done well, do it when you’re young!”. Sounding as it may sound, having fun and enjoying my youth is my great concern at the moment and I intend to keep it this way as much as I can. I have been harshly judged for saying a straight NO for now to kids, marriage, bank loans or to saving accounts, house projects or retirement thoughts and an opened YES to life as I perceive it at the moment. What defines it for the best now is travelling, laughing, shopping, enjoying opera plays and theatres, working, doing crazy little things, dancing till dawn, going out with friends for a lunch or a walk, listening to my favourite rock music, reading and writing, and by means of each of them, learning, each and every day learning how to rejoice in all these small things life so generously disposes before my eyes.

         So yes, one may probably call me selfish, thoughtless, lazy, immature, inconveniently sincere, maybe unreasonable, shallow, even ignorant, but one cannot ever call me hypocritical and by this only I already have a great advantage in front of those who judge me. Because I chose to remain the same old reliable girl, friendly and affectionate, active and joyful, dedicated and open, sober, educated and decent, yet at odds with everything that could constrain me. Because I chose to be different and not let go the real me. Because I chose to keep my feet on the ground and my eyes up, to the stars. Because I chose to live, not simply exist, and this, I believe, gave me the right to lay down my own rules for a proverbial life!

            The delivery of a speech does not imply the participation of the SPEAKER only, but that of the entire room, the rest of the members, and the guests as well. The TIMER makes sure you know how long you have been speaking, by displaying a green, a yellow and lastly a red card at several points in time, so you won’t be disqualified for speaking too little or too much. The GRAMMARIAN watches for your good or poor uses of the language, the AH COUNTER counts your crutch words and the POSTURE MONITOR keeps an eye on your posture, movement and gestures. The TOASTMASTER of the day has the role of introducing you and everybody (if they want, of course) will provide you with a short written feed-back at the end of the meeting. Probably the most important roles are played by the EVALUATOR, who has to give a three minute feed-back on your speech in front of everybody and the MENTOR, an experienced member you choose to guide you in the first 6 months or the 3 first speeches, whichever comes first. I am glad I can brag with an awesome team and with an extraordinary mentor, who constantly offers me exactly what I lack in: confidence, courage and self reliability, all wrapped up in wise words and gently smiles.

the evaluation I received in my manual, written by my evaluator, Adriana
(she also delivered an oral evaluation based on the tasks I had to fulfill in my speech)

the written feed-back I received at the end of the meeting from all the members and guests

            Toastmasters is not about what you’re going to become, but about what and who you are and didn’t know. Toastmasters is about understanding why others like you the way you are and learning from them how to do the same. Toastmasters is about your own lessons of life. There is nothing about learning from others’ mistakes, but about making your own mistakes and bragging about them. Because they are yours and you are unique! I will get back on this in other future post/s. Till then, if anyone is directly interested in this subject, please contact me for further information. We meet each Tuesday at Prefectura, from 6.30 to 7.30 P.M. and we are great!

some of the TM, on a great day!
(Mada, Costi & Clau received flowers for carrying out their 10th speech!!)

Anca, Angi, Ramo & I at Bistro del Arte