Soms as ‘n mens kaste regpak, kom jy mos op die oulikste goedjies af waarvan jy al vergeet het. Net so is my ou dokumente vir my. Dis ‘n nimmereindigende taak om my dokumente en foto’s ordelik en in ‘n sisteem te hou, omdat dinge net vinniger inkom as wat ek byhou om te prosesseer, maar ek stry dapper aan daardie stryd.
So kom ek nou op my C & L 1 vir Toastmasters af, dd 7 Maart 1997 (Dit was destyds jou heel eerste openbare ‘toespraak’ as jy by Toastmasters aansluit, om jouself voor te stel. Wat ‘n heerlikheid om te lees, want ek sien hoe min het ek eintlik inherent verander. My passies was en is steeds rekenaars, lees en skryf. Ek was en is steeds bietjie ekshibisionisties. My leesmaak het darem bietjie gegroei, en ek hoop my Engels het langs die pad bietjie verbeter. Dan het ons natuurlik Jozi vir kleinmond verruil. Ek plaas dit egter verbatim, omdat dit is hoe ek dit toe geskryf het:
C & L 1 – Me, Myself & My Name
Mr President, Mr Toastmaster, Ladies and Gentlemen. By this time all of you know what my name is, but I would like to tell you what my name stands for! My name is T R I S A (show card1), but I’m being called Trisha, Trish, Trix, Treeza, Teresa, Tricia (show Card2) all the time. Let me explain to you what ‘Trisa’ stands for.
T is for Technology. I am a total technology junkie. I just love all the new technology. In case of fire, I think I will probably rescue my laptop, printer, modem and cell phone in favour of anything else. We all take things like telephones, computers and fax machines for granted, but I am old enough to remember the times when typewriters were used. I am sure some of you can recall the frustration of having to retype a whole letter, because of a few spelling mistakes. These days one does not even have to use a dictionary, with the click of a button the spell checker does it all!
Should one need information on any possible or impossible subject, it is available on the WWW, only a few button presses away . Even banking has become a pleasure with the recent introduction of CompuBank.
The joy of technology enables me to have daily contact with my daughter, who is living in Israel with her Israeli husband. Israel does not seem so far away when we ‘chat’ on a chat program. My numerous e-mail buddies are not virtual friends, but very real friends. We share secrets, hopes and dreams. I have made wonderful friends from all over the world. I also have my own Home Page on the Internet, where you can read more about my exciting life.
R is for Reading. I read anything, even the instructions on shampoo bottles, and the health information on the Post Toasties box. Because I read a lot, and I am a fast reader, I have to borrow books from the library, I would never be able to buy everything I want to read. That does not stop me from browsing around in book shops, or having fun in second-hand book shops! I often get phone calls from the local library, to inform me of new arrivals. Some of my favourite writers are: André P Brink, Chris Barnard (the heart surgeon, not the writer), Wilbur Smith, Jan Rabie, Marita van der Vyver, and Dalene Matthee.
R also stands for wRiting, if you will forgive the spelling mistake. (The spell checker did not pick that one up!) I am a free-lance writer for women’s magazines, and that novel is still under construction! I have recently sold an article on The Joys and Freedom of being Fourty.
I is for INTJ, for those of you who are familiar with the MBTI. Believe it or not, I am an introvert. In short, the INTJ person is one of about 1 % of the population, is decisive, critical, independent, determined, sometimes stubborn! INTJ’s usually have original minds
I also stands for my Independent, Interesting life. I am married, but very independent, that is very typical of the INTJ type of person. I have many weird and wonderful friends, both male and female.
S is for Sex of course! No, I am not going to tell you about my sex life, but what else can S possibly stand for? On a more serious note, I am involved in a new Afrikaans talk radio station, Punt op Mediumgolf, for which the license has been granted by the IBA last week. If everything goes according to plan, I am going to host a talk show once a week, as from April. The subject? Sex Talk. Apart from that, I’ve written a couple of articles on sexual matters for magazines.
A is for Analyst. I work as a Media Analyst at Newsclip, a press clipping company. I spend my days analising press clippings according to the client’s criteria, and writing reports for them on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. We turn communication into intelligence! My clients include Nedbank, M-Net, Guardbank unit trusts, The Association of Law Societies, the SABS, Total, and to keep me humble, I also do Breakfast Cereals! I really do enjoy my job, I finally managed to convince someone to pay me for doing what I like to do – Reading, writing, and playing around with statistics and computer graphics.
That is – in short – what ‘Trisa’ stands for, and you can count yourself lucky that I did not elaborate on my full names – Heila Levina Etresia.
Mr Toastmaster.