Thanksgiving Eve

The third Wednesday fell on Thanksgiving Eve in 2012. President May Huang of Grand Toastmasters club organized a big dinner party for members to enjoy two BBQ chickens from Cosco, two large Combo Pizza from Pizza Hut, a big cheese cake.

Grand has a long time tradition to celebrate the Beaujolais evening when Grand held the club meeting on the first and third Thursday evenings. After moving to the new venue in 2011, Grand meets on the first and third Wednesday evenings. It's nice to celebrate the Thanksgiving with club members for the first time in Grand's history.

I was the first to arrive at the meeting venue as I wish to express my thankfulness to President May Huang and Area H1 Governor Yvan Chu for their support during the evaluation contest at D67 Fall Conference 2012. Being the early bird, I was delighted to help the SAA arrange the layout of the meeting venue. And early birds got the first piece of mouth watering chicken and pizza. Yummy~

As I didn't have any job assignment, I was called upon to answer one of the tabletopics by Toastmaster Jimmy Wu, and luckily I won the best tabletopics speaker to my surprise! After the club meeting, there was no second meeting, I think it was because everybody was full in stomach!  And everybody was in a hurry to head home for rest.

District 67 Fall Conference 2012

I got up early for the dress rehearsal with 8 golden ladies Toastmasters at nine o'clock at New Taipei City Hall. Then I attended the English Humorous Speech Semi-Final Contest Group B to support Agnes Ng of Galaxy Toastmasters Club at Room 507.

After lunch, the opening ceremony featuring Dr. Dilip R. Abayasekara's keynote speech started at 1PM. Dr. Abayasekara talked about thee Cs in Toastmasters, 1. Courage to stretch; 2. Confidence to achieve; and 3. Caring to build. And he emphasized that The Toastmasters International is safe, positive and fun, an acronym of SPF.

In the late afternoon, I represented Division H to participate in English Evaluation Contest at the auditorium. I was the lucky No. 2 evaluator, I observed 8 outstanding evaluators after me to learn their evaluation skills and strategies. Even though I didn't place, I was contented to be able to evaluate a test speaker on stage at the big venue of 1,400 seats. I felt really proud of myself. Just look at the big smile on my face, you know what I mean. I wish I could do better next year. Firstly, I must place at Division H Evaluation Contest in November 2013.

In the evening, 9 golden ladies toastmasters wowed the audience with our splendid aboriginal dance to open the conference party.

District 67 Fall Conference Eve

Were it not for the dress rehearsal, I wouldn't have gone to the auditorium of New Taipei City Government Friday evening, November 16th!

I saw masters of ceremonies and conference ambassadors rehearse the opening ceremony. I saw the dinner party hostess and performers rehearse the party program. I saw contestants rehearse for the semi-final humorous speech tomorrow morning. Every toastmaster was feeling high to get ready for District 67 Fall Conference 2012, November 17th and 18th.

Being an early bird, I was lucky to have a photo taken in aboriginal costume right before the huge fall conference 2012 sign was about to be lifted up. It'll certainly be a memento for me to cherish for the rest of my life!

Tomorrow will be a big day for me, dress rehearsal from 9:15 till 9:30, Evaluation contest from 4M till 5:30PM, and opening dance of dinner party from 7:30PM till 7:40PM!

Amis Ina & Faki

It's been a long while since I last danced with my dear golden ladies Toastmasters friends on stage. I'm feeling excited that nine golden ladies shall perform an authentic Taiwanese aboriginal dance at District 67 Fall Conference 2012 dinner party the coming weekend. For the past week, we met every other day to practice three to four hours. I felt so much recharged after each rehearsal. We tried on the costumes to dance for the first time at Lydia’s home from 3:30PM till 6:30PM this afternoon.

In a five minute dance, there are three parts, including Song of Puyuma, Amis cha cha, and Ode to Naluwan. In order to make the dance more poetic and romantic, I imagined myself as a fairy playing in the forest in the Song of Puyuma, a sexy Amis Ina at a banquet in Amis cha cha, and Goddess Aphrodite praying on the beach in Ode to Naruwan!

Dancing is fun! With the movement of the body through space, the rhythms of athletics as a physical poetry, I feel reconnected to the Nature. I like the concept of the poetic body of Jacques Lecoq, the founder of L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. Lecoq’s training is to aim at nurturing the creativity of the performer, the physicality of performance with le jeu (playfulness), complicité (togetherness), and disponsibilité (openness).

In less than two days, I shall dance on stage with my body and soul in one. I shall practice, practice, and practice till my body can memorize all the steps without thinking of them. It'll be an exciting experiment to feel the song of body and soul. It'll be exciting to introduce Taiwanese aboriginal dances to D67 Fall Conference Keynote Speaker Dr. Dilip Abayasekara, DTM, Past International President 2005, and many Toastmasters around the world.

A Lucky Toastmaster

I feel like the luckiest Toastmaster in District 67 when I was informed  by Area H1 Governor Yvan Chu to be the substitute to represent Division H to participate in D67 Evaluation Contest 2012, Saturday afternoon, November 17th. The champion evaluator of Division H has an urgent job in the office on the contest day. Being the first runner-up of Division H Evaluation Contest, I was obliged to receive the honor with great delight this afternoon!

It was ten years ago I joined D67 Evaluation Contest. I didn't place. I've been hoping ever since that one day I could stand on stage again to evaluate the courageous test speaker. Year 2012 is my lucky year being able to stand on stage with a dozen Division champions. Being a substitute, I feel less stressful, maybe I can perform better. Hopefully I can have the lucky draw to be the first contestant, so that I can observe all outstanding evaluators in District 67. I keep my fingers crossed!

Division C Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests

Illusion is the first of all pleasures. ~Oscar Wilde~

The Beitou Park was jam packed with local residents and visitors when I arrived at the MRT Hsinbeitou station. Many people held yellow and red balloons in hands to participate in the park festival like a big carnival in Barcelona. I followed the crowd to wait in line for two balloons, one in red, one in yellow, to cheer up two Toastmasters contestants at Division C Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests at Ketagalan Culture Center Sunday afternoon, November 4th.

When the elevator door opened on the 4th floor of Ketagalan Culture Center, I heard the voice of Toastmaster Kao and the laughter in the room. I was ten seconds late to join the crowd to laugh out because of the red and yellow balloons. Kao had a lucky draw of No. 1. I had to listen to her humorous speech with a concrete wall between us.

When the door reopened during the one minute of silence, I didn't hesitate to walk to the front row with my balloons high in the air. I sat in front to laugh aloud like a cheerleader so that Toastmaster Ng could see me well when she was on stage. During her speech, the sergeant-at-arms seized the balloons and put them under an empty seat next to me. My balloons must have blocked the sight of the audience sitting in the back! Mermaid Ng did well to secure her championship to compete at D67 Fall Conference 2012. I was excited for Ng to be able to advance further to tickle the funny bones of the Toastmasters at a bigger and wider stage at the auditorium of New Taipei City of 1,400 seats!

Being a guest at Division C Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests, I felt extremely relaxed to observe the Test Speaker at the evaluation contest. I couldn't help imagining what I would I say if I were one of the evaluators of Toastmaster Hsieh's "my classical music life"?

Toastmaster Hsieh is a romantic young man. His attire and his fingers speak who he is. He reminds me of the little boyfriend Luigi Moreno I just broke up with last week. Luigi hated the classical music to death when he was a 11th grader. He loved classical music out of blue when he turned to be a 12th grader. He wouldn't fall asleep without tuning to the classical radio station. I don't know why exactly he changed from hate to love all of a sudden. He never disclosed the secret. Maybe it was the androgen in his body which played some kind of trick in triggering the expression of his encoded DNA in music. Who knows?

Luigi studied violin when he was in college. He continued his passion till now. Whenever we met for an afternoon rendezvous, he was excited to play the violin masterpiece he just learned with his teacher. I watched him play violin with interest to expect what would come next. When his fingers moved the bow and pressed the strings, I imagined myself as a million-dollar Stradivarius. I wondered which violin masterpiece Luigi was thinking of when he lingered his fingers on my body?

Being a tone deaf, I accepted Luigi the way he was, his classical music, his everything. No matter what Luigi asked, my answer was nothing but yes. I liked what he liked, I hated what he hated, I followed his will, because I admired his young body and mind and his charming bright eyes.

It was when Luigi played the Four Seasons of Vivaldi last October, I told him that I had enough. When he played Pachelbel Canon last Friday afternoon, it was the last straw that broke the camel's back. I decided that it was time I said goodbye. When Luigi turned his back to me and walked out of the room, I didn't feel regretful! Luigi never bothers to share with me why and how he loves the classical music. I was never given a chance to walk into his heart of classical music. I was shot lonely outside of his classical music life!

On my way home after Division C Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests, I think I'm must have gotten Toastmasters Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I was eager to seek for compensation and consolation in Toastmasters. If not, why did I go to Division C Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests after I failed at Division H Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests?