Five Stars Clogging Dance Performance

A rating of five stars is certainly encouraging! I was feeling on cloud nine when I saw the five stars rating for the clogging dance "Eyes Like Yours" Trini and I performed at Sui-yuan Community Center on Dragon Boat Festival Tuesday noon, the 19th of June. I knew I had done something meaningful, but I didn't expect Trini and I would have won a five stars rating. Simply amazing!

I started uploading video clips of clogging dance on YouTube from March this year. I've uploaded about ten clips of our performances for the past four months. The first rating I received was three stars for "Baby One More Time" Michelle and I performed at D67 Spring Convention Ambassadors Celebration party in May. I was quite pleased with the appraisal. But when I saw a five stars rating in June, I was so thrilled that I could receive such an encouraging feedback from the viewers. I am sure Trini would be just as happy as I am.

Even though "Eyes Like Yours" got only 24 views now and one rating of five stars, I still felt so much uplifted. I knew I did a good job after the dance, but I am still very grateful that somebody appreciated our dance and gave Trini and I a rating of five stars. Wow!

I don't deny that the five stars marked a milestone of my clogging dance career. And I shall take it as a compliment to my effects and enthusiasm in the past and an encouragement for me to hone my clogging skills to advance further to attend the Annual Clogging Convention in the US in June 2008.

If life is like a box of chocolates of different tastes and shapes (no one knows what she or he is going to get next), learning clogging dance is certainly the sweetest piece of choice which keeps me in shape and in spirit. I am grateful to Trini who took me to the clogging class and guided a new journey for me to travel in the years to come. Sherry

Clinking Dragon Boat Festival

Trini and I performed two clogging dances at the Sui-yuan Community Center Saturday, the 19th of June. It was a gathering of more than 250 people on Dragon Boat Festival. The clogging dance classroom was jam-packed with community members, young and old alike. On the corridor, lots of traditional delicacies, such as glutinous rice, noodles, stewed chicken, sweets, were displayed on a huge table.

Upon the request of Clogging Dance Instructor Jennie, I arrived one hour early in order to rehearse with team members. As soon as I put on the belly dance costume, I overheard an early arriver joke with Borough Chief that there would be a sexy dance show on stage. When I turned around, I was surprised to receive a friendly bow from the gentleman. I guess I looked 18 from the back and I looked like a professor in his face. No matter what, it was indeed an awesome compliment.

At 12 o'clock sharp, we were called upon to open the luncheon party. We danced "Baby One More Time" and "Eyes Like Yours" quite well, however nobody seemed to be interested in our performance. Everybody was busy eating, drinking, talking, or playing games. Fortunately I asked a young man to videotape our dance. He was probably the only person who looked at our dance from the beginning till the end. If we were a group of young and sexy chicks, we might have created better entertaining effect.

Sui-yuan (water source) Community Center is an interesting community. It is located on the 4th flood of Sui-yuan traditional market. Most residents run their business at the market, from food vendors to boutique owners. The market is across the street from National Taiwan University. It is a shopping mecca in the evening for students and office ladies.

It was the first time I performed at Sui-yuan Community on Dragon Boat Festival and it is meaningful for three reasons. First, among three major festivals in Taiwan, Dragon Boat, Moon, and New Year, I like Dragon Boat Festival the best. People get together for a big luncheon and row the dragon boat to quench of the heat in summer. Second, I have an excellent opportunity to hone my clogging dance skills and to entertain community members. Third, as a shopping queen, I can make acquaintance with shop owners at the market and I might get a special discount in the future (a wishful thinking).

Trini and I stayed for the lucky draw--the last but most exciting program on the agenda. There were many presents to give away. Everybody left the party with a full stomach and a huge bag full of prizes. I gave most of booties to Trini so that she could award her students with great grades at school. The clinking Dragon Boat Festival of year 2007 was memorable and enjoyable! Sherry

In the Mood for Love--A Reflection

It always saddens me seeing two lovers ended being apart.

With Sherry's recommendation, I watched the movie "In the Mood for Love". I don't usually watch Chinese movies. If I have time I would choose good English or American movies only because of their big cast, big budget, big scene, great script and great impact to give. Also I can enhance my listening comprehension by watching them. Of course some Chinese movies are good, too. But when one has only limited time for pleasure, he or she doesn't have much choice.

Glad that I had the chance to watch the movie. It's a love story that doomed to fail. Both lovers are married to others. The times when their spouses were away, when the feelings of loneliness and emptiness crept in, they were lured to be attracted to each other. Was their love for their spouses not strong enough, or was their marriage not built on true love that when they found they were betrayed, they just followed their hearts to seek comfort and new love? I have no answer as the movie was dubbed in Spanish, they spoke too fast for me to catch up.

The slow pace, enchanting music, graceful figure of the leading actress wearing ChiPao, the two vulnerable characters, gave the movie life with artistic value. Yet, what the lovers had is an affair and they had to hide from people and couldn't feel the joy of love is another unbearable sadness they suffered from. Director Wong Kar-wai applied an imperfect ending as a perfect choice to create a lamentable beauty. A happy ending couldn't convince the audience that they would live happily together ever after.

"In the Mood for Love" brought back my long lost dreams. I love watching movies because those that touch upon my heart dearly don't seem to likely happen in people around me or real life. It's the irresistible charm of movies especially Romance movies. It lets our imagination and dreaming roam wide. I don't mind sounding shallow to confess that among so many genres of movies, I love Romance the most.

Romance lets us see the great impact and power of love. After having seen so many Romance movies, and not seen many truly great couples in the real world, my conclusion is that only very blessed people may have the rare chance of experiencing a great and fascinating love. It can only happen or be seen to those who are very fine, both beautiful in their looks and hearts. That's why if a Romance movie doesn't have handsome or charming stars to support, it won't be successful in the market.

Sherry hinted me about the ravishing ChiPao the leading actress wore in the movie. Maggie Cheung certainly looked graceful and elegant in ChiPao, especially those ChiPaos were made of specially selected fashion of cloths. Only ChiPao can mark the vulnerable, fragile yet graceful and delicate beauty of the role. And the movie needs ChiPao to mark its background, too. There were at least over 10 ChiPaos in the movie; flowery, trimmed, striped, or color-featured etc. They were truly amazing.

I can tell Sherry likes ChiPao a lot because she sometimes wears ChiPao-like dress. She is tall and slender. She looks wonderful in ChiPao. As for me, I like to appreciate others wearing ChiPao in stead of wearing it myself. It's OK for me to try once in a while, and that's it. ChiPao is hard to maintain, besides, I like to wear comfortably and enjoy different looks with different style of clothes. Anyway, this is another thought from the movie. Trini

Toastmasters Friends from District 76

I did it again, to wrap myself in a summer kimono strolling on Chung-shan North Road Saturday afternoon, the 16th of June. I caught more attention because there were many pedestrians in the business area on weekends. I walked tall as usual with a matching pink umbrella this time. I was on my way to Peace Toastmasters Club installation ceremony.

Eight Toastmasters from Japan came to celebrate with us, including President Kozue Sakai (酒井こずえ) and EVP Mitsuyoshi Kimura (木村光良) of Musashi Kosugi Club (武蔵小杉), Tomiko Tachi (城とみ子) and Katsunori Mizushima (水島和憲) of Yokohama Club (橫濱), KatsuhikoYamamoto (山本和彥) of Kanrakusaka Club (神楽阪); Tadashi Kino (紀正) and Watanabe Yoshihito (渡辺吉人) of Hibiki Club (響), Kiichiro Ohmi (近江喜一郎) of Edo Club (江戸).

I was happy that I put on the gray summer kimono with beautiful pink and white chrysanthemum flowers. It is a precious gift from for IPP Kanai Rikuko (金井陸子) of Kyoto Toastmasters Club when she came to Taipei to attend D67 Spring Convention in April. I thought it would be the best opportunity to wear it to welcome dear Toastmasters friends from Japan.

The installation party was a great joy. An impromptu debate on whether to the mountains or to the seas during the summer vacation was discussed heatedly during the table topics session between two teams, three members of each. Two prepared speakers and two evaluators were from Japan. All eight Japanese guests had the opportunity to stand up and speak up in front of us. It was challenging for them to speak Japanese in a country where Japanese is not the native language, especially for the first timers to Taiwan.

After meeting, Sean Chiu of Excellence Toastmasters Club walked me to the evening party venue. We strolled along the road and took many photos. I don't mind being stared at, on the contrary, I thought nothing could be more romantic than imagining a century ago, many beautiful women strolling on the main street of Taipei, wearing colorful summer kimonos.

A dinner party of more than thirty people started from six and didn't end till ten. We drank in Taiwanese style, bottomed up all the time. It was so noisy and crazy that everybody had to raise the voice to compete with the soundtrack effect of Karaoke machine.

When I was told that the number of Japanese speaking Toastmasters clubs in District 76 is increasing, I was impressed by the dedication and enthusiasm of Toastmasers members in Japan. Take Watanabe san for example, he came to Taiwan to support Japanese speaking Toastmasters Club seven years ago. This is his 7th time in Taipei. And he is going to lead another group of Japanese Toastmasters to Taipei in December.

Many people asked me why I studied Japanese in the first place. I had many reasons behind my motive, but no matter what, I am glad I did. I have many friends in Japan now. Each counter is like 一期一會 (one chance in a lifetime) of Japanese Tea ceremony. It was indeed delightful to toastmaster with friends from our neighboring country on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. Sherry

A Mid Summer Rhapsody

I was running to Taipei Fine Arts Museum in an exquisite summer kimono and a matching silk umbrella. It was not for a movie because there were no cameraman, no director. The street was almost void at this morning hour. I roamed under the shadow of maple trees like a swift-footed marathon runner with my household Japanese style slippers on Chung-shan North Road.

Panting into the lobby of the Museum, I became the focal point. Fortunately I was not the last member to arrive and I needed not to apologize. As the person in charge of this extracurricular activity, I should have arrived earlier. I did get up early, but I shouldn't have clicked "Letter from Iwo Jima" on my desktop, Clint Eastwood's Japanese version of "Flags of our Fathers". I finished the movie and I had a perfect mindset for our weekly PHP* reading gathering.

I've planned to wear the purple kimono for a week. Immediate Past President Kanai Rikuko of Kyoto Toastmasters Club gave me two beautiful summer kimono when she came to Taipei to attend Legacy's 10th anniversary party and D67 Spring Convention in April. We passed the Taipei Fine Arts Museum on our way to Grand Hotel for dinner the day she arrived. So I thought it would be great if I could wrap myself with her gift as a piece of Fine Arts in Taipei to show my heartfelt appreciation to her kindness.

The Cosmos Reading gathering took place at the cafeteria of the Museum Thursday morning, the 14th of June. We read three articles of PHP monthly May issue. I joined Cosmos three years ago. We meet every other Thursday morning at Taipei City Library. Cosmos belongs to PHP group founded by Matsushita Konosuke. On May the 3rd this year, I helped charter Sakura reading group, the second reading group of PHP magazine in Taiwan.

After reading gathering, we had a scrumptious lunch at Taipei Story House Cafe. Before the meal was served, I walked around the verandah of the Tudor-style architecture built in the early 20th century. Many big and red wax apples smiled at me on a big tree in the backyard. After lunch, my prayer was answered when the saleslady at the souvenir shop granted me the permission to savor the fresh wax apples displayed on a ceramic plate. It was a fruitful day. I felt light-hearted strolling back home, humming a mid summer rhapsody in my kimono on the main road in Taipei during the Japanese colonial period.

*PHP is acronym of Peace and Happiness through Prosperity. I proposed Toastmaster Magazine reading gathering early this year from the idea of PHP monthly reading group. Sherry

Greetings from a Silvery Admirer

It's my honor to be invited by Sherry Li to write something, or better yet, just about anything for our girls.

Although I insist that I'm still silver, reluctant to cross the crucial line of golden gate yet, but deep inside my heart, I know, I already belong to the most treasured group in this society, that is, "balanced women". We love ourselves more than anything in the world, we know the reasons for everything we do, but, after all, do we really need a reason for things we do, we love and we practice? I doubt it.

From clogging to jazz to belly dance to reading club, you name it, and there will be many more to come.

As for myself, I focused my too many interests down to photography in the last 3 years, but it was only until last month, May, that I took my very first basic photography class in 2 different organizations. Aside from light, focus, composition, lenses and tripod, what interests me the most is the mindset of different teachers. While some of them always implant the idea and technique of how to play up to the taste of the judges in a contest, my other teacher in 2nd school just uses some simple guide and techniques to help us think, develop our internal photographic eye. In consequences, I won't miss any single class of this Teacher Liu, it's like you've finally found your Mr. Right, in my case, the right teacher. I enjoy both classes because there are lots of worthy observations and materials to feed my busy brain and they all serve to be the inspirations for my future speeches.

And guess what, 6 Toastmasters are in the same class! Margaret Lee, Petra Shih, Mary and Henry, Frankie Yi and me. Another golden proof that TMC is just The Beginning, it opens so many doors and windows for you.

In the June meeting it was very interesting for me to know the "true face" of each lady. Yes, skin care is essential for every woman and man, more important than those fancy colors added to it. What I'm looking for is the "mechanism" of how a product line works for my skin from the deepest layer upwards. The mechanism that is smart enough to suppress the very first melanin in it's developing stage and deal with it to prevent it from ripen to a hated mark on surface. Or other product lines that renews my cell, smooth my first fine wrinkles without the slightest damage. I've found it and if the mechanism is right, you have nothing to worry about. Just go for it and enjoy being a beautiful shiny lady, embracing many admiration from friends and strangers.

In the same spirit, I know that we TMs are on the right track with the right mechanism. We face our weakness and strength, armed with the right technique, our fruity reward is the endless support and friendship from fellow TMs, not to mention the many activities that pave a way out for our talents and long-forgotten passion. Looking forward to join you girls again, no matter what it is. Have a nice week, see you around.
Virginia Lee, Legacy Toastmasters Club

Toastmaster Magazine Reading Gathering in June

I left home in the rain. I arrived home in the rain. The reading gathering in June took place in the rain again at Lydia's grand mansion, a luxurious and convenient location for everybody, Friday evening, the 8th of June. I did not attend the May gathering in the rain because of my flu. I was elated to catch up what I had missed last time

Irene, Michelle, Lydia and I met for dinner at Hi Sushi, a conveyor belt sushi restaurant before the reading. A huge variety of sushi on color plates passed our table on a rotating conveyer belt that wound through the fancily decorated restaurant. I sat next to the belt and couldn't resist the temptation to gorge them all. Civilized Michelle ate only cooked dishes, we therefore had not only the mouth-watering selections from the belt, but only many delicious dishes from the kitchen. By the time the table was full of empty plates of the consumed delicacy, we left with our stomach satisfied to proceed to the next session.

Skin Caring workshop was scheduled after dinner. Cecilia, the beautiful wife of Harrison Lee, DTM, showed us how to care our ultimate layer of beauty with her company Mary Kay's products. Be beauty but skin deep, beauty is the ticket to the world of rich and famous. If money is all for men, so is beauty for women. No wonder women would do everything for beauty. From costly and painful surgery to laborious beauty care, women endure all. The more beautiful the woman is, the worse she becomes obsessed with the superficial and ephemeral beautification process which could and would occupy her entire time, energy, thought, and life. After all the first impression offers no chance to those who have less for others to further explore the inner beauty refined through constant reading.

The lengthy reading was the third activity in row. We didn't end discussion of May issue till eleven o'clock. Trini talked about "Speaking of Science--How Toastmasters helped me sharpen my skills and start a foundation to help others" by Erika Ebbel. Being an elementary school English teacher, Trini shared with us her ambition to charter a English Speech Club in her school and ended up being exhausted teaching many classes a day at school. Irene led us to discuss "Talking to Teens--Teenagers are the original tough crowd. This is not an audience for the faint of heart or the unprepared" by Patrick Mott. As a caring mother of two, Irene used her personal stories to exemplify her interactions with her kids. Michelle elaborated in details "Simple Steps to Writing a Fantastic Speech" by Charles W. Buffington III.

Time was getting late. The momentum was still high to sustain to the fourth session--Karaoke Challenge. Most golden girls sang a couple of old songs of the 70's to get ready for the Chrismas show in December. At midnight, we left Lydia's place with up-lifted spirits in all.

As always, I had a splendid time meeting with the golden ladies for hours reading Toastmaster Magazines. I don't mind getting caught in the rain, on the contrary, I cherished the blissful blessing to submit to the power of the nature. It is ominous that the rainy season began one month later than usual, an aftermath of global warming. Sherry

Simply Amazing

My becoming a peruser of Toastmaster Magazines is a consequence. I read from cover to cover to prepare meticulously for my monthly reading with golden girls. After reading the magazine extensively and intensively, I choose MY TURN as my favorite column. The VIEWPOINT of IP Johnny Uy is inspiring. I won't miss LETTERS where I can cherish what other toastmasters think of the articles in the back issues of Toastmaster magazines. It feels good to be surrounded by toastmasters of the same mind and heart no matter which part of the world they are.

Take "Live and Learn" of MY TURN in May issue for instance, I can't help wondering if Ben Daughtery, CTM, is writing a fiction. He can certainly publish a series of books with his power in literacy. I was impressed with his good wording in each paragraph, good transition from paragraph to paragraph, and the overall structure he organized the entire article, not to mention, the awesome beginning, moving body, and clinching conclusion. Boy, he's joined Forgotten Voices Toastmasters Club in Angola Prison for more than ten years.

Not knowing a thing about Angola in Louisiana, even though I stayed at Graduate School of LSU Medical Center in New Orleans for three years. I am curious about this institution and found out that Angola is the Louisiana State Penitentiary and is estimated to be one of the largest prisons in the U.S. with 5,000 inmates and over 1,000 staff on an 18,000 acre plantation close to the Mississippi border.

Forgotten Voices Toastmaster Club is one of Angola's many inmate organizations. It has won several major speech competitions, received the "Distinguished Club" award four years in a row, had its club newsletter voted in the top ten Toastmaster list worldwide for three consecutive years (1995-1998), and was honored with the 1998-1999 Founders Award. Wow!

I believe there are many Bens and Angolas in Taiwan as well. If inmates are provided with opportunities to speak up and guided by enthusiastic mentors, some of them can write as well as Ben. Prisons are not the only places where people get "incarcerated", nursing homes, loony bins, shelter homes for young and sick, just to name a few. There are people who have no idea how Toastmasters can help them prosper in their own way. Let's seek chances to help pave a good path for people to transform from hemmed and hawed stammerers and stutterers to eloquent and confident speakers.

I don't know who Ben's mentor is. I am sure he or she is gratifying to see what happened to Ben after he joined the Forgotten Voices Toastmasters Club. Simply amazing, isn't it? Sherry

Fun Reading is Contagious

The first day we sign up to join the Toastmasters, we're hoping we can hone our communication and leadership skills at the world biggest non-profit educational organization as much as we can. But, it's not an easy task, we must strive hard to reach our goal. The more we get on stage, the more we feel at ease delivering speeches in public. So is reading monthly Toastmaster Magazine! The more we get together to read, the happier we'll be.

READING is fun. Fun reading is contagious. I am happy I had the opportunity to conduct a trial reading of Toastmaster Magazine May issue with Grand Toastmasters Club members Saturday moring, June 2nd. We read two articles for twenty mintues before our yakiniku luncheon at the Longevity Restaruant in Shi-lin, "Simple Steps to Writing a Fantastic Speech" by Charles W. Buffington III, ATMB, page 22 and "Managing Your Toastmasters Materials--What to do with all those certificates, speech notes and manuals" by Shelia Spencer, DTM, page 24.

In "Simple Simple Steps to Writing a Fantastic Speech", we learned about "Soapbox" issues. In early days, English used to carry soapboxes to Hyde Park to speakup their ideas and believes to the people. Nowadays, people use blogs to convey messages to the people around the world.

In "Managing Your Toastmasters Materials--What to do with all those certificates, speech notes and manuals", Shelia Spencer, DTM taught us how to create a system to mangage our Toastmasters document smartly. I echo her opinion that we can donate the Toastmaster magazine back issues to the club where they can be made available to guest and other members if we do not want to keep the magazines for ourselves. (I've kept Toasmasters Magazines since I joined Grand Toastmasters in 1986. If you are interested in reading the back issues, feel free to borrow them from me.)

I'm happy we had a great time discussing two articles in a short period of time.I prepared two questions for members to answer. The winners had the gifts to take home with, the rest had the knowledge (more powerful and valuable). I wish goldengirls can lead reading activities with club members to make fun reading contagious in Toastmasters. Sherry