To build a moral rocket

*Stand in position 3*

Snow is falling in feathery bits.

The wolves stare at each other. The black wolf snarls showing a row of pointy teeth. The white wolf walks to its left to find purchase to jump at its opponent. The black one mirrors him. *Through gritted teeth* Never breaking eye contact. *begin fast* Suddenly the White wolf is airborne. The black wolf jumps to a side. With an icy bark the…

To ask or not to ask?

A little horse approaches the river. The river has swollen due to the recent rains. White waters run foaming with the currents. There is no bridge. The little horse is about to step into the water.

Stop!

(Toastmaster, My dear toastmasters)

Stop! Shouts the panicked squirrel. The squirrel says; “Do not go into that water. It is too dangerous. I lost a friend to this river”. The little horse…

Some time ago I was invited to do the “test” speech for the club evaluation contest of Moratuwa Toastmasters club. Everything was going well. I did the introduction. Addressed the contest chair. Delivered the first line. *long bewildered pause* And then nothing.

(Toastmaster, my dear toastmasters)

You may know from experience that even while you are uttering a sentence of a prepared speech, the…

For a Better World

I come from a mixed school. When I was in grade 4, we were seated around small desks with two boys and two girls per group. The other boy who was in my group was the smallest of the entire class. He was so small that everybody called him “Malli” despite some, like me, being younger. And I, was a smaller version of my current skin and bones self. So for us, the rather plump girl sitting on the…

I want each and every one of you to think of a choice that you have to make and assign it to the faces of this coin. Say for example, one can think, I will buy a car if it is heads. I will save the money for posterity if it is tails.  *look around* Done? *Flip the coin and ignore it*

(Toastmaster, my dear toastmasters)

Life…is a series of choices.

I chose to do this speech today. You chose to sit…

I was reading my copy of J. R. R. Tolkin’s “The Hobbit” last month.

One of my friends saw this. He pointed at the book and said; “Aaaah, Have they already printed the book?”

Quite confused, I asked; “What?”

He says; “Well you know, after the movie? They have printed the book, right? You have seen the movie haven’t you?”

My expression was more or less *make :-O face*

(Toastmaster, my dear…

“I wish life had an undo button. But alas, it does not”

(Toastmaster, my fellow toastmasters)

This is what I wrote to my “editor”, who was behind all my recent speeches and essays *pause*; who was first critic of my writings *pause*; who corrected, altered and gave support to continue writing. I wrote this to the said individual when I was told that we can no longer be friends. Mea maxima culpa!