Nino in the Making

     Do you like to smile? How about smiling to strangers? I love to smile to everyone even to strangers. Maybe because I was inspired by the saying “Smile, it improves your face value.” So, I hope you don't misunderstand me when you see me smiling even If I’m just alone.  If you’re convinced, you can start smiling now and let's find out later if something has improved.

      Fellow Toastmasters, guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen, let’s make this night worthy of our smiles as I deliver my Ice Breaker Speech.

      I’m Nino, a Spanish word means little boy, 5 feet and 4 inches tall, with fair complexion, single and available. Oh I almost forgot! There is one thing that my parents used to tell me. “I’m the most handsome son in the world.  Is there any objection?  If you disagree, “you have the right to remain silent, any word you say can and will be used against you.”

      There is no child that has no dream. For sure, all of us here in this room dreamt of something that we want to be, if not our dreams, maybe our parents’ or grandparents’ dreams for us. My elementary teacher once asked me of my ambition when I grow up. As a silent and shy type boy from a small town, I stood up and said “I want to become a priest.”  That dream first came to my mind when I had read and observed in my school yearbook that the smart and outgoing students dreamed to become lawyers, doctors, engineers while the lowly and meek in the seminary or a church. I thought I was destined to be a priest since during my graduation day; I received an award being the “Most Kind” pupil in the graduating class. That recognition made my Mama and Papa so proud of their only son.

     It was in the year 2000 when my father lost his job. I was left with no other choice but to try applying scholarship in private schools and universities. I was still very fortunate that I passed the entrance exam at Philippine Normal University. It's not a school for normal people but a school for students who want to become teachers.  Teaching taught me to embrace this profession as my calling.  I found it both rewarding and fulfilling. This noble work made me realize that I became one of the instruments to fulfill the plans and dreams of my students.  

     I’m already 29, but I still can't figure out who I am. I keep on chasing one dream after another. I have this vision that someday I will become a missionary.  To be of service to the community gives me true joy and contentment. Life continues to reveal some things about me I would say that who I am is still in the making. The people, places, and even circumstances influence and mold me for who I am at present. All these brought significant impact in molding my character-happy or sad experiences, best or worst moments with different people in all walks of life, and our successes and failures encountered. In the turning points of my life, I still manage to smile.

      I was reminded of what Max Erhman mentioned in his poem desiderata of Happiness which says, “Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with you.  You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.    And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.    With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

      Fellow toastmasters, there is more to life than what our naked eyes can see. There is much in life to look forward to. Who I am is an unending pursuit.