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?