An die Freude

In order to support Taiwan Railway, Virginia invited her parents, her high school classmate Judy, and me to participate in the first Go Mountain Go Sea Charter Train Cruise today. We left Taipei at 7:50AM, took the coastal railway to Taichung, and took the mountain railway back to Taipei at 7:10PM. It was my first time riding in a charter train, I loved it, free Karaoke bar operated by young and pretty girls, snack lounge served by handsome guys, and first class treatments from train station masters.

I didn't sleep well last night, because I was excited to travel a whole day with two beautiful musicians. I brought the complete notes of Chorus of Beethoven's No. 9 Symphony 4th Movement with me today to sing Ode to Joy, one of Beethovens masterpieces together on the charter train. Virginia and Judy could help me with German. They were both educated in Germany when young.

Being busy visiting scenic places along various train stations, including museums, temples, gardens from dawn to dusk, we didn't have time for Beethoven until the last hour of our trip. When Judy encouraged me to read the lyrics of An die Freude in German, I was ready to please Beethoven and Schiller to the best of my ability.

But the moment I opened my mouth, I tickled every funny bone of Virginia and Judy. They just couldn't stop laughing at me and my awkward German. Even Beethoven and Schiller would jump out of their graves and have a good laughter. I felt like a born stand-up comedian, and became instantly recharged to compete at Division H Humorous Speech Contest in October.

Am I frustrated that I couldn't pronounce German well, even though I had studied German for three years in college? No, not at all. Am I feeling panic about my singing "Ode to Joy" at the Joint Anniversary Party of Success and Kumamoto Toastmasters Clubs Saturday evening, October 11th? No, not at all. With me, I have an ace in hand, the four parts of Chorus of No. 9 Symphony CD, Toastmaster Masaki Oshiumi sent me in advance so that we can perform the duet together on stage.

I'm determined to make Virginia and Judy proud of me singing Ode to Joy in German. I'm determined to impress Japanese toastmasters with Masaki-san the tenor and me the alto. I'm determined to win a big round of applause from Beethoven and Schiller in heaven. I'm ready to open my mouth and sing, are you all ears? Freude schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium ....

Area H1 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests

A humorous person is made, not born. If I am committed to being a leader, there is no excuse not to commit myself to learning the tricks to tickle the funny bones of people. Laughter Is the Best Medicine. What could be more welcoming than a good laughter for family and friends, on many important occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, even one-night stands?

I made up my mind to join every humorous contest in Toastmasters whenever possible from now on. It is the shortcut to become humorous in a fast way, in my opinion. After I won the in-house humorous contest at Grand early this month, I have been obsessed in discovering funny stories in everyday life. Heaven helps those who help themselves, I won Area H1 humorous contest this afternoon.

I must take the opportunity to thank toastmasters friends around the world for providing not only ideas, but also showering me with encouragement. Another fringe benefit of being a veteran toastmaster is that I know all the judges in public and in private at all levels from area, division to district. I know I must have received special favors from the judges regardless what the judging rules depict. If I win, I shall keep in mind the favors from the judges, If I don't win, I shall also keep in mind the disfavors from the judges.

Poor judges, it must be challenging to be impartial having veteran Toastmasters contestants. Poor junior contestants, it is challenging to protest against senior Toastmasters contestants. It is not about winning the humorous contests, it is about being a humorous person, my intention to join the humorous contest in the first place, and I shall keep in mind!

Toastmaster Magazine Reading Gathering in September

It was the first time golden Ladies held the Toastmaster magazine reading gathering in the clogging classroom. It was the first time Virginia showed up at the clogging class, not to clog, but to savor the Ton-po Pork, the famous delicacy from Linda's hometown.

Immdiately after the Moon Festival, golden ladies were excited to have a pot-luck dinner party before the clogging class. Trini brought fruits, Sherry brought salad, Irene brought Bread, Kate brought Pancakes, Lydia brought red wine, and Virginai brought her superpower Canon camera, so that she wouldn't miss the sags and wrinkles aroung the beautiful eyes of golden ladies. Linda drove all the way from her sweet home in Chang-hwa this morning to deliver each golden lady a big bag of Ton-po Pork as the gift of Moon Festival.

It was the first time I had a severe cramp in my left leg at the clogging class. Just at the end of Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart", Step-Heel-Heel-Heel-Heel pause Jump, I was excited to jump as high as possible to give an impressive pose. Then I felt a sudden pain and saw the constriction of the muscle on my left calf. It hurt more than I could bear and I had to crawl on the floor for help. Kate came to my rescue by bending my left foot. I saw my calf recover and I could be on my feet again.

Was the leg cramp caused by menopause, or was it because of the excessive red wine I guzzled? Nobody knows. But I learned a lesson. I must accept the fact that I am a golden lady, no matter how young I would feel in my heart. I couldn't take too good care of my body.

After the clogging class, we went over five assigned articles by Lydia, including "Small Audiences" by Caren S. Neile, page 15; "How to Win Over Teenagers" by Pandora Scooter, Page 16; "Training Teens to Be Toastmasters" by Carolyn Kellams, page 22; "Protocol for Globe-Trotting Toastmasters" by Terri Morrison, page 24; and "A Disingenuous Discussion" by John Cadley, page 30. Being an English teacher at an elementary school, Trini shared with us her experiences helping with young kids. She was so proud to announce that she made three costumes for her students during the Moon Festival. She thought she was a genius and I was eager to see her works to give her a thumb up.

Shinlaku Moon Festival

Supertyphoon Shinlaku arrived in Taiwan early on Moon Festival 2008. All public offices in Taiwan were forced to closed from 5PM Friday. In stead of staying at home, people waited in line to see the movies, no matter how heavy it rained, how strong the wind blew. With no big full moon to see on rainy typhoon days, movie theaters provided options to spend an evening with loved ones.

Grand Toastmasters Club had the annual Moon Festival gathering at Gina's cozy appartment in Chung-ho this year. President Carrie and I were about to represent Grand to participate in Area H1 Humorous Speech Contest this coming Sunday, we were all ears to the suggestions and comments from our club members to win the laughter from the audience.

I was the first one to arrive in the rain with a bottle of white wine from CJ Winery in Yi-lan. After a cup of warm Earl Grey tea, Gina showed me how to make delicious sweet yam balls from scratch. MVP Tina came after me, then President Carrie, with Gina the deputy Treasurer, an officer meeting was in place. We talked about how to improve regular meetings quality, how to oranize extracurricular activities to attract more members, and how to retain old members. When EVP Yvan came after attending her friend's weddding party, we worked on the details to improve club meeting programs. Everyone was eager and enthusiastic to make contributions to Grand, and I was speechless.

Like all single and available, Gina is good at cooking, from French to Taiwanese. Her magic hands turned the raw material into exquisitive cuisine right in front of our eyes. Before we could wow, our mouth watered, taste buds stood up, and stomaches sang, "feed me a small bite". The excitement of waiting was followed by satisfaction when Cathy rang the bell. Nothing would make people more sincere and real than the good food in mouth.

Cathy had a good appetite for everything Gina prepared on the table and I started working on her with my humorous speech on Basal Metabolic Rate. But who would want to know about the calorie when the delicious food was in front of us, especially the overweight. How could I be so rebellious and ruthless to examine the calories of every moon cake on the label on Moon Festival? Why not seize the day and diet from tomorrow?

While waiting for Gina to serve the last dessert, the golden full moon (sweet yam ball) soup, Yvan took initiatives to arrange a group message. We sat in a line to message one another. It felt so good to receive and give the caring through hands on the bodies. What could be more auspicious by celebrating the moon festival by appreciating and savoring many full moons, Mmm, Mmm, good.

Thanks to Tina, Cathy, Gina and Yvan, Carrie and I absorbed millions of ideas to rewrite our humorous speeches. Can't wait to present our group efforts at the coming regular meeting. Don't miss the pine nuts moon cakes Gina donates. See ya Thursday evening!

Autumn Outing to Yi-lan Winery

Lydia, Virginia, Grace and I ventured out of Taipei early this morning. I was particularly excited about our trip to Yi-lan not only to taste the good fresh wine at CJ winery and to replenish my half empty wine cellar. This past summer, I've acquired a pleasing first-time habit. After a siesta, I poured myself a glass of chilled white wine, sit in front of the desk top, let my mind wonder in the universe and my fingers dance on the keyboard. It has been my way to quench the summer heat in 2008.

On our way to Yi-lan Winery, we first stopped at Wushih Harbor to see people get on board to watch whales and dolphins at the Turtle Island. Then we stopped at Waiao Service Area to take photos of the unique yellow architecture in a geometric shape by the seashore. On our way to Leo Ocean Resort, we stopped by Beiquan Tidal Park for an easy and relaxing walk along the coastal trail to see magnificent rocks and cliffs formed by the Pacific Ocean for thousands of years.

Virginia had a photographic assignment from Leo Ocean Resort, so we all won a free entrance to visit the resort and the Lions museum in Taiwan. The River East Lions Museum is the first theme museum in Taiwan. It was established in 1998. After the discovery of the hot spring underground, Leo Ocean Resort began operation in August 2007. The resort covers a good area of 1,000 hectares, offers the best ocean view of Northeastern Taiwan. Hopefully golden ladies can have a toastmaster magazine reading gathering at Leo in the near future, soaking in the hot spring pool, watching the sunset, and enjoying a luxurious barbecue dinner.

Immediately afternoon 12 noon, we arrived at CJ Winery, a gorgeous countryside rock house hidden in the mountains of lush greens. Being thirsty and hungry, we began the wine tasting without much ado, starting from kumquat wine, followed by white wine, red wine and plum wine. Being a good drinker, I drank double the volume and felt totally relaxed when I walked upstairs for lunch.

On a weekday afternoon, we received VIP services from CJ Winery because we were the few customers. Asahi is our waiter. He is young, humorous and takes good care of us. Being a college graudate majored in Hotel and Restaurant Management, Asashi knows the tricks to please the customers and to satisfy their needs. On top of that, Asashi tells jokes to make us laugh the entire lunch.

After a deluxe lunch, we moved to the balcony for coffee and dessert. The chef-in-charge came out of kitchen to say hello upon our request when we knew he is a triathlon athlete. He told us his latest record was two hours something for 51.5 kilometers course (swimming 1.5K, cycling 40K, marathon 10K). After his greetings, the chief chef asked Asahi to bring a big box of freshly made kumquat moon cakes for us to have a taste on the house. Asashi wore a big smile and encouraged us to take away as many cakes as we wished to share with family and friends on the Moon Festival Sunday evening, September 14th. Lydia and I didn't leave CJ Winery with empty-handed, we both bought a bottle of kumquat wine, a bottle of white wine, and a bottle of fruit vinegar.

At 3:30PM, we hurried to Da-hsi Harbor to buy seafood from the incoming boats. The seafood market was packed with people from all walks of life, including restaurant owners, small seafood venders, coastal guards and tourists. I was amazed at the jargons and gestures used among the brokers and bidders. With no intention to buy any seafood, I walked along the shore by myself and met an old man tying nodes on a shabby fishing boat by himself.

Out of curiosity, I initiated a friendly conversation with him. He told me that he couldn't understand Taiwanese and asked me to speak Mandarin with him. So, I asked him questions and he gave me answers. He lit a cigarette and talked about his hometown in Fu-chou, his family and his life. It was the first time I knew that many mainlanders fishermen stationed in the shacks along the Da-hsi Harbor. They are not allowed to step on land and they can return home every two years.

I heard about Chinese coolies building railways and digging gold mines in the west, I heard about Chinese coolies fighting on the battlefield for the British in WWI, I saw Chinese coolies drifting on the water of Taiwan to work on the sea for the first time with my own eyes.

At six o'clock in the evening, I arrived at Grand Toastmasters Club and started rehearsing my speech. Luckily, I won the first runner up at the in-house humorous speech contest. And I'm ready to represent Grand to compete at Area H1 Humorous and Evaluation contests Sunday afternoon, September 21st.