отмучился....
Mar. 25th, 2011 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vryadliВ смысле позапрошлого поста. Вообще, такие жизненные удовольствия проходят у меня под девизами "заставлять себя надо" и "чтоб жизнь медом не казалась".
Под катом примерный текст спича, с которым отмучивался. На память типа, ну, и для праздно-любопытных. Это не рассказ, это примерное содержание речи... хотя, конечно, с учетом моего небанального отношения к английской грамматике, шаг в сторону от приводил к россыпи помарок, так что я был недалек. Зато во время отлично уложился, во. 7.30 при лимите 8мин. Примерно - 820 слов.
My place on the map. Just a couple of points.
Honestly, it is too early for me… I ’d like to have more time before my first speech… something like eternity would do nicely… but I have what I got. After all, the term “icebreaker” itself clearly indicates that I am not supposed to be at ease and in full control of situation.
So I’m going make a couple of points about my place on the map. On some metaphorical map which shows how different people are positioned in some generic metaphorical space.
People on that map are different in many different ways. They – we are different even from outside. Some of us are tall, some are gracious, some are blond… - and… here I’m going to skip may be the most common, most evident difference, because of one thing that I learned just recently and I am very proud of it. It is political correctness. So, I’m not going to tell that some of us are ladies and some – gentlemen. I will not do this barbaric misstep, though, as you will see later, I am fully qualified for such blunders.
But I am brave enough to talk about other striking difference. Some of people are more civilized, and some relatively barbarian
More specifically, I claim that, if measured against grand Western Civilization, I’m positioned as doubly barbarian - as a native of really far and wild areas and as a physicist.
And there is no better reference point for validation that claim that Toastmasters International. Their culture… your culture… I almost can tell - our culture looks for me like the very essence of the Western civilization. You are extremely, optimistic, cheerful, positive, enthusiastic and friendly. Please, don’t think that I’m criticizing. I’m really like it. It just still looks a tiny bit foreign to me.
Let me start from “physicist” point. It is easy because it is all explained in one of the greatest books of the last century: “Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman”. Though he was veritable genius in physics and I’m definitely not, he was man of artistic nature, gifted in music and fine arts and, and even somewhat of playboy - and I’m really dull, clumsy and family oriented creature - still when I read it I had a strange feeling that this book is very much about me that I could write some paragraphs of it myself. That is one of them:
“ I was always dumb in that way. If the idea looked lousy, I said it looked lousy. If it looked good, I said it looked good. Simple proposition.
I've always lived that way. It's nice, it's pleasant -- if you can do it. I'm lucky in my life that I can do this.”
Here is just one example how exactly did that, talking to Niels Bohr. When he was young and Bohr was sort of demigod.
Bohr come out with an idea
“ I say, "No, it's not going to work. It's not efficient... Blah, blah, blah."
So he says, "How about so and so?"
I said, "That sounds a little bit better, but it's got this damn fool idea in it."
This went on for about two hours, going back and forth “
You can see how different it is from toastmaster discussions. Evidently this man had no idea about inspirational thinking and concept of positive critique.
Now – to second point. Wild areas. I was born I Tajikistan, but the place where I became aware of myself - it was in age of five, this place was Kok-Terek in Kazakhstan.
Imagine small barbaric village in the middle of the desert. Two thousand people. Most of the houses made of so called “saman” which is a mix of the clay, manure and straw. Only one 2-storey building. Water are outside, in street wells. So, most people have a bath once in week. Others - rather like never. No bars, casino, dancing clubs. And on the top of that – it was the place of exile for criminals and political dissidents. It was also the best place in the world for children and I still dream about returning there.
At the age of 14 I left deserts of Middle Asia and went to Siberia. I don’t need to talk about Siberia at all. Each American knows most important facts about it: it is huge, it is cold, bears on city streets and it is place where criminals and freedom fighters are sent by all Russian governments. And most of that is more or less true. And I spent there 27 years.
So, you see, my barbarian credentials are pretty impressive. And it is very natural for barbarian to be attracted to civilization, especially to Great Western civilization and to the very focus of it – toastmasters culture. That is why I am here, giving this speech about my barbarian nature. Though, honestly the real point of all that barbaric rubbish is just to claim as much excuses for my performance, as possible.
Под катом примерный текст спича, с которым отмучивался. На память типа, ну, и для праздно-любопытных. Это не рассказ, это примерное содержание речи... хотя, конечно, с учетом моего небанального отношения к английской грамматике, шаг в сторону от приводил к россыпи помарок, так что я был недалек. Зато во время отлично уложился, во. 7.30 при лимите 8мин. Примерно - 820 слов.
My place on the map. Just a couple of points.
Honestly, it is too early for me… I ’d like to have more time before my first speech… something like eternity would do nicely… but I have what I got. After all, the term “icebreaker” itself clearly indicates that I am not supposed to be at ease and in full control of situation.
So I’m going make a couple of points about my place on the map. On some metaphorical map which shows how different people are positioned in some generic metaphorical space.
People on that map are different in many different ways. They – we are different even from outside. Some of us are tall, some are gracious, some are blond… - and… here I’m going to skip may be the most common, most evident difference, because of one thing that I learned just recently and I am very proud of it. It is political correctness. So, I’m not going to tell that some of us are ladies and some – gentlemen. I will not do this barbaric misstep, though, as you will see later, I am fully qualified for such blunders.
But I am brave enough to talk about other striking difference. Some of people are more civilized, and some relatively barbarian
And there is no better reference point for validation that claim that Toastmasters International. Their culture… your culture… I almost can tell - our culture looks for me like the very essence of the Western civilization. You are extremely, optimistic, cheerful, positive, enthusiastic and friendly. Please, don’t think that I’m criticizing. I’m really like it. It just still looks a tiny bit foreign to me.
Let me start from “physicist” point. It is easy because it is all explained in one of the greatest books of the last century: “Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman”. Though he was veritable genius in physics and I’m definitely not, he was man of artistic nature, gifted in music and fine arts and, and even somewhat of playboy - and I’m really dull, clumsy and family oriented creature - still when I read it I had a strange feeling that this book is very much about me that I could write some paragraphs of it myself. That is one of them:
“ I was always dumb in that way. If the idea looked lousy, I said it looked lousy. If it looked good, I said it looked good. Simple proposition.
I've always lived that way. It's nice, it's pleasant -- if you can do it. I'm lucky in my life that I can do this.”
Here is just one example how exactly did that, talking to Niels Bohr. When he was young and Bohr was sort of demigod.
Bohr come out with an idea
“ I say, "No, it's not going to work. It's not efficient... Blah, blah, blah."
So he says, "How about so and so?"
I said, "That sounds a little bit better, but it's got this damn fool idea in it."
This went on for about two hours, going back and forth “
You can see how different it is from toastmaster discussions. Evidently this man had no idea about inspirational thinking and concept of positive critique.
Now – to second point. Wild areas. I was born I Tajikistan, but the place where I became aware of myself - it was in age of five, this place was Kok-Terek in Kazakhstan.
Imagine small barbaric village in the middle of the desert. Two thousand people. Most of the houses made of so called “saman” which is a mix of the clay, manure and straw. Only one 2-storey building. Water are outside, in street wells. So, most people have a bath once in week. Others - rather like never. No bars, casino, dancing clubs. And on the top of that – it was the place of exile for criminals and political dissidents. It was also the best place in the world for children and I still dream about returning there.
At the age of 14 I left deserts of Middle Asia and went to Siberia. I don’t need to talk about Siberia at all. Each American knows most important facts about it: it is huge, it is cold, bears on city streets and it is place where criminals and freedom fighters are sent by all Russian governments. And most of that is more or less true. And I spent there 27 years.
So, you see, my barbarian credentials are pretty impressive. And it is very natural for barbarian to be attracted to civilization, especially to Great Western civilization and to the very focus of it – toastmasters culture. That is why I am here, giving this speech about my barbarian nature. Though, honestly the real point of all that barbaric rubbish is just to claim as much excuses for my performance, as possible.
