1^st Toastmaster Speech

      Good evening fellow toastmasters! Tonight, I’ll be delivering my first speech and it’s like baring my soul since I’ll be sharing a bit of myself. Honestly, I consider myself a good writer than a speaker and I hope, by joining the Toastmasters Club, I’ll be able to improve my public speaking and communication skills.

      You have known me as Kate, the young lady in the front desk. But who am I really behind those sweet smiles?

      I was born Maria Kristina Yara on July 17, 1981. According to my mom, I was named after Kristina Onassis, the famous shipping magnate’s daughter but I don’t know where they got KATE as my nickname. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I am an only child but I am not the usual “bratinella” contrary to what others say because I don’t get all the things I want but instead I have to work hard for it.

      I worked as a Customer Service Representative in a call center for MCI Worldcom, Chase and Orchard Bank before I came here in the US. I graduated from University of Santo Tomas three years ago, with a degree on AB Economics, and up to now, I still don’t know why I took up that course, I should have taken up Journalism, Literature or International Studies instead. I love writing. I keep a blog where I write my deepest thoughts and emotions. For the benefit of those who doesn’t know what a blog is, it is an online journal where you can put down anything, be it a poem, article or just anything that you want to write. I also love reading books and magazines, books that give intellectual orgasm, makes my heart leap, inspires me and moves me into tears. I am a big fan of Dan Brown, Paulo Coelho, Mitch Albom and Adeline Yen Mah. One of my favorite books is The Alchemist. I always read that book whenever I have to make a big decision because it really makes a difference. There is one line from that book that I try to live by, according to the author, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it”. I also love watching good movies and I cry in great love stories and sad movies. There is this one Italian film that really made me cry. The movie is entitled Life is Beautiful. It is a World War 2 movie, about a man who is determined to shield his son from the terrifying reality of the holocaust. It made me cry because I’ve never been close to my father. Never in a day that we will not fight. Then there’s a Korean movie, entitled My Sassy Girl, it is a story about love, fate and destiny. It also made me cry because I am a hopeless romantic and the movie didn’t fail to touch the weakest part of my heart.

      I am a beachaholic. I love going to the beach. My favorite island getaway is Puerto Galera in Mindoro. It is where I go when I want to recharge my sanity and escape the stressful world of the city. Walking in stretch fine white sands makes me get in touch with my inner soul. I’ve always love to bask under the sun and I have a sinful love affair with the ocean. I love getting tanned, I love the aroma of coconut oil when I get a massage, and what I love most is eating “balut” or duck egg with pina colada or strawberry margarita during bonfires. Sometimes I go snorkeling and one thing I wanna do when I go back there is go on scuba diving. My ultimate vacation spot would be in Amanpulo in Palawan and Bora-Bora in Tahiti.

      I am a wanderlust. I love traveling and road trips. When I was nineteen, my friends and I went to Pampanga, Zambales, Bataan, Tarlac, Dagupan, La Union, and Baguio in just two days! My father was really mad at me he won’t let me go out for a week. I also have a vague idea that before I turn 40, I should visit India, Greece and Egypt. I am always fascinated with their culture, their history and of course the exotic and beautiful places. I would like to immerse myself in diverse cultures and the world that I would never dare imagine.

      One thing weird about me is that I love the moon. I love anything and everything about the moon, and I would like to think that my mood cycle depends on the phases of the moon. I am also a big dreamer, such a big dreamer that sometimes reality disappoints me. On the lighter side, I have an absurd penchant for make-ups, clothes and shoes, I am a self-confessed unrehabilitated shopaholic, an aspiring but frustrating singer, a hardworking slacker, a quasi-intellectual homo sapien, an optimist with a hint of pessimism. I am a drama queen, colleague, lover, daughter, niece, friend and a litany of other roles that I have yet to undertake. I am not a good driver, but I love kart racing. I am not a good dancer but in the Philippines, my Saturday nights were spent clubbing. I am not a good singer, but I love music and I am not a good cook but I love eating. These are the ironies of me.

      I won’t talk about my love life because it’s always complicated. Love spoils everything. Love was undoubtedly one of the things capable of changing my whole life, from one moment to the next. I’ve never found anyone to love or so I thought. I’ve always made the wrong decisions and now I’m letting life decide for me. I let fate choose which route I should take. Yes, I am a firm believer of fate and destiny.

      I am easy to please even the smallest things makes me happy. I believe that we should always be grateful with every blessing that comes our way. I would like to have friends who share my passion for life, love and shopping. I would like to meet people who can deal with my lunatic thoughts and help me pacify my inner demons. I am not a very religious person, but I believe in God and I believe that there’s only one path to God even if we have different belief and religion. I also believe in Karma and in the Yin and Yang of life.

      People see me as a shy and quiet person. That’s because it really takes time before I open up and come out of my shell. My appearance and my personality are two opposite things. To some, I may look tamed and innocent; to others I look mysterious and intimidating at the same time. I can be sweet and kind yet malevolent and vindictive. No one ever knows what to expect with me. I am a little bit of everything all mixed together. I seem to be almost a different person every time I meet someone but at the same time I know exactly who I am and there is always that one thing that makes me “ME”. Kate Yara is an irony, a paradox, an oxymoron and every other synonymous term to that. These are the things that comprise the ordered chaos of an existence I call MY LIFE. 

 Do not fall in love every time you fall in bed.
... Learn to detach emotionally.

Sex does not equal commitment.

Do not revolve your entire life around him/her.
... Addiction is bad for your health!

Do not cling, act needy or demand.
... Doormats are for your feet, not your heart.

It's OK to say NO!

Stop talking so much. NEVER reveal everything.

Do not grill them or their friends for information.

Master the art of LISTENING.

Treat him/her as you would your best friend.

Friendship creates long term love and comes
before sex.

FORGET about fixing your partner.
IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

Your choice of partner is a reflection of who you
are
and who you are not!

Enjoy the moment first. Live in the present. ...
Don't worry about the ex's or start naming your
future children.

NEVER read their journal or go through their
paperwork.
... If you have no trust, you have no
relationship.

Allow space and freedom between you.

DO NOT always be available.

Calling frequently is a turn off and signals
insecurity, neediness and control.

Open your eyes to lies and cheating, OR... close
them, justify the bad behavior, and live with the
consequences.

Little or no eye contact? Start walking. They won't
even notice your gone.

Anyone preoccupied with their physical
appearance and dress,
usually have very little or nothing to offer from
within.
... Look beyond the physical!

Never compromise your values.

If you OVER give, you will lose your lover and his
respect.
DO NOT LOSE YOUR IDENTITY.

December/May relationships are great. However,
seasons change and the May lover will sooner or
later, hear the call of Spring.

If someone REALLY wants to be with you, they
will be.

Sleeping with a married man?!
Don't count on him divorcing anytime soon.

State your personal rules in the very beginning or
expect them to be broken.

If they ask to be just friends, be just that and look
elsewhere for a love partner.

If someone wants to really be with you, they will.

If they keep giving reasons for not calling or say
they are extremely busy, GET THE HINT, leave
them alone.

Marriage before thirty is an inevitable celebration
for divorce.

Don't ever give up your friends for him/her.

If your partner one day leaves you, be sure you
have friends, money, a career and a life of your
own which you never gave up.
... If you do not, who do you have to blame but
yourself!

"Hopeless romantics are only hopeless in the eyes
of those who don't believe in romance"

You can't help who is it that you fall in love with,
whether they are older or younger, taller or shorter,
completely opposite or just like...