Toastmaster Magazine Reading Gathering in April

On Easter Sunday, perfect ten golden ladies met for Toastmaster Magazine reading gathering in April at Elite Riverside Cafe' in Hsin-tien. It was the biggest reading gathering since we launched our first three years ago. It feels good to see our reading group is getting bigger. It feels great to see our reading group members excel themselves in their professions.

Michelle Liu passed the final examination and claimed her CCIM designated by CCIM Institute in Chicago Friday evening after a year of intensive training in commercial real estate. She sent us a notice to share her happiness as soon as she received the certificate at the pinning ceremony in Taipei. "After a long journey, I finally made it", wrote Michelle, "but it is not an ending but a beginning to scale a new heights to my life." Dear Michelle, congratulations! You made us your proud golden ladies Toastmasters friends. Don't forget to jot down your joy in the traveling diary in your good hands now.

At eight o'clock this morning, Amy Chen woke me up in bed. She asked me about the assigned three articles of Toastmaster Magazine March issue we were about to read. Amy's call was like a morning call from a guardian angel. I was so much uplifted instantly by her cheerful voice. I was cured from the total exhaustion of a translation and interpretation project in the past two weeks. Amy gave me a good dose of a blissful morning injection. I was ready for our reading gathering in April on Easter Sunday.

With Linda Tseng's arrangement, we had our most luxurious luncheon on Easter Sunday. The kaiseki Japanese cuisine included two starters, three main dishes, along with a big hot pot, desserts and coffee. After we satisfied our stomachs, we began our reading of three feature articles as planned, 1. Thinking Like a Loser--How to Conquer the Psychology of the Contest by John Kinde, DTM, Accredited Speaker; 2. Crucial Conversations--Tips on Talking to the Key People in Your Life by Barbara Neal Varma; 3. Walking a Fine Line--How Much Personal Information Should Speakers Share? by Judith Tingley, DTM, Ph.D.

Reading Toastmaster magazine aside, golden ladies were more interested in the gossip and tabloid as usual. For 4 hours straight luncheon, we spent less than one hour on reading the magazine, but we felt contented just the same. After reading thinking like a loser, Trini and I decided on the spot to join 2009 humorous speech contest in November. Trophies collect dust alright, nevertheless we shall aim at collecting trophies in Toastmasters, to grow, to master the art of communication in public.

Follow Amy Chen's steps, I turned into an angel after our reading gathering. I delivered Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth, a wish book to a young man who suffered bipolar disorder and hospitalized in the psychiatric ward 9A at Cardinal Tien Hospital in Hsin-tien. On Easter Sunday 2009, I was surrounded by many beautiful angels and I became one of them. I'm grateful and thankful!