Clogging Dance with the Grasswind

I'd looked forward to the hot pot party at Grasswind Restaurant for a couple of weeks. It was held by D67 Spring Convention 2007 organizing committee to celebrate the great performance of convention ambassadors. No one can forget the dress code and the sweet sweet smile of young and pretty convention ambassadors. Every ambassador wore a pink shirt with a flower in her hair to echo the convention theme "Blossom in Spring". The student ambassadors provided best services possible to members and guests alike. They left a great impression on many foreign delegates.

Four out of 14 Convention Ambassadors showed up at the party. Two out of 4 expressed their interest in learning clogging dance after seeing the demo dance by Michelle and me. We performed "Sweet Sweet Smile" by Carpenters and "Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears. Some senior Toastmasters also showed their willingness to learn clogging dance with us. Wow, I can hear the happy-go-lucky clinking sound in Toastmasters.

It was super hot Sunday afternoon, the 27th of May. I gave up riding my motorbike under the scorching sun on my way to the restaurant. I took the metro to Jian-tan station and I was 15 minutes late. Michelle was waiting for me. Without wasting any time, we sweated all over in less than 20 minutes rehearsing on the verandah outside of the air-conditioned restaurant.

The party was 30 minutes late. I like parties, but a hot pot party in summer isn't my cup of tea. Fortunately three super-power air-conditioners transcended us to the vast grassland of Mongolia. The steaming hot pot became mouth-watering in the romatically adorned basement with a full house of laughter of toastmasters. What a cool way to kill the loneliness in a hot Sunday afternoon in Taipei!

Sammy Su, President of Taipei City Government Toastmasters Club, is the coordinator of the convention ambassadors. She spent a lot of time contacting and helping convention ambassadors do their jobs well. In the meantime, she was one of the 7 finalists at the International Speech Contest. Remember that tallest woman Toastmaster in town? She brought two cakes, three bottles of yogurt in one hand to the hot pot party. She is invincible. She is single and available.

Convention Chair Gloria Chou took charge of the panel discussion about the strength and weakness of convention ambassadors and the room for future improvement. She invited four convention ambassadors to share with us their experiences. We knew in depth and in details how much convention ambassadors had served us. I really admired the student toastmasters' team spirit and serving attitude.

Before we closed our party, we were told that Grasswind Restaurant offered kitchenware clearance sale because it will move to another new location next month. Grasswind is owned by Division C Governor Mike Yang's younger brother. We not only had a special price for our food and drink, we also had a premium service from Mike's daughter. No party could end better than every participant walked away with hands full of cups, plates, baking pans, anything you can imagine. There will certainly be many more parties to come and I'm waiting for the invitation calls. Sherry

Clogging Dance with the Grasswind

I looked forward to the hot pot party at Grasswind Restaurant for a couple of weeks. It was held by D67 Spring Convention 2007 organizing committee to celebrate the great performance of convention ambassadors. No one can forget the dress code and the sweet smiles of young and pretty convention ambassadors. Every ambassador wore a pink shirt with a flower in her hair to echo the convention theme "Blossom in Spring". The student ambassadors provide best services to members and guests alike. They left a great impression on me as well as many participants.

Four out of 14 Convention Ambassadors showed up at the party. Two out of 4 expressed their interest in learning clogging dance after seeing the demo dance by Michelle and me. We performed two clogging dances, "sweet sweet smile" by Carpenters and "Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears. Some senior Toastmasters also showed their willingness to learn clogging dance with us. Wow, I can hear the happy-go-lucky clinking sound in Toastmasters.

It was super hot Sunday afternoon, the 27th of May. I gave up riding my motorbike under the scorching sun on my way to the restaurant. I took the metro to Jian-tan station and I was 15 minutes late. Michelle was waiting for me. Without wasting any time, we sweated all over in less than 20 minutes rehearsing on the verandah outside of the air-conditioned restaurant.

The party was 30 minutes late. I like parties, but a hot pot party in summer isn't my cup of tea. Fortunately three super-powered air-conditioners transcended us to the vast grassland of Mongolia. The steaming hot pot was so delicious in the romatically adorned basement with a full house of laughter of toastmasters. What a cool way to kill the loneliness on a Sunday afternoon in summer.

Sammy Su, President of Taipei City Government Toastmasters Club, is the coordinator of the convention ambassadors. She spent a lot of time contacting and helping convention ambassadors do their jobs well. In the meantime, she was one of the 7 finalists at the International Speech Contest. She is the tallest woman Toastmaster in town. She is invincible. She is single and available.

Convention Chair Gloria Chou took charge of the panel discussion about the strength and weakness of convention ambassadors and the room for future improvement. She invited four convention ambassadors to share with us their experiences. We knew in depth and in details how much convention ambassadors had served us. I really admired the student toastmasters' team spirit and serving attitude.

Before we closed our party, we were told that Grasswind Restaurant offered kitchenware clearance sale because it will move to another new location next month. Grasswind is owned by Division C Governor Mike Yang's younger brother. We not only had a special price with a premium service by Mike's daughter, we also walked away with our hands full of cups, plates, baking pans, anything you can imagine. There will certainly be many more parties coming and I'm waiting for the invitations. Sherry

Toastmasters Magazine Reading Gathering in May

We had it all this time on May the 5th. Group reading is getting more and more versatile and interesting. For the great fun we had, firstly, we must thank Lydia for the big feast Harry, her better half, treated us; and the after-reading entertainment in the luxurious reception room down her mansion. It's a gathering that brought us sensual, intellectual, thought-provoking, and artistic pleasure. Secondly, we had to thank Virginia, a genius amateur photographer, offered a no-money-can-buy lesson regarding photography to us. Thirdly, we had an unexpected guest Lily. Her excellent command of English and yummy cake brought us surprise and joy.

The feast, King Harry generously treated us to express his thanks to our performance at the 10th anniversary of Legacy Toastmasters Club, was the 1st excitement. The food Lydia ordered was double the volume our stomach could afford. Just when we wondered how to proceed our reading with our sleepy head, the ten-minute walk magically solved the problem. Then when we were about to start our group reading in the luxurious reception room, Lydia brought in a bunch of bananas and a huge bowl of well-served watermelon. Though with a bulged stomach, we couldn't resist the sweet and delicious fruit, and we finished them all. Then as usual, we talked about the three articles in the Toastmaster Magazine. We exchanged our perception, discussed the usage of some new words and expressions and concluded how we were going to apply what we perceived into our future speeches.

Next was Virginia's lecture on photography. She opened our eyes with many of her excellent works and she offered great professional tips. The atmosphere reached its climax when she showed us the movie she made for Legacy's 10th Anniversary. Everyone was immensely touched and moved. After all the intellectual programs, we enjoyed the cake Lily prepared for us, and used the 1st class facility to sing Karaoke to relax. King Harry arrived at last, but at the very right time to enjoy the cake, sang and danced with Queen Lydia.

When it was getting late, we had to say good-bye and let our King and Queen rest. The group reading in May exceeded everyone's expectation. When and what's next? Trini

Clogging Into the Future

Irene said it right, "It takes millions of drills to become great clogging dancers, a clogging team of fast and unified movements." after she watched the video clips of clogging dance on YouTube. I can't agree with Irene more. We need a lot of practice before clogging steps become part of us.

No one acquires clogging steps in one day. Professional cloggers need hours of rehearsal before performance on stage with precision and accuracy. In addition to our weekly classes, it would be nice if golden grils can find time to practice clogging steps on our own on regular basis. From time to time, we find time to get together to forge the team spirit. The on-line video clips of clogging dance provide useful reference and inspiration.

I started tapping two years ago. Upon Trini's invitation, I joined a clogging class last year. And I learned to clog instantly. Clogging is fun and is more of a sport to me. I love the unique clogging sound of lace-up oxfords with 2-piece clinky taps on the heels and toes. The joyful American country music lifts up my spirit whenever I am in a clogging class. I always clog in the air to sweat.

Michelle once said, "We need a stage to perform, public speaking or clogging." It would be nice if we can start from a small stage, say at nursing homes and orphanages. Performing in public provides us with the motivation to practice in private. While we give joy to the elderly, we receive joy in return. From a stage of 20 to a stage of 200, who knows, maybe someday we can go to a clogging competition in the US.

I have a dream to make Taiwan a clogging paradise. Let's charter a clogging club to promote clogging dance on this island. Let's organize clogging workshops to invite famous clogging instructors to Taiwan to teacher us new clogging steps. It'll be fun to meet cloggers from all over the world. Let's clog into the future. Sherry

A Joy Shared is A Joy Doubled

Irene said it right, "It takes millions of drills to become great clogging dancers, a clogging team of fast and unified movements." after she watched the video clips of clogging dance on YouTube. I can't agree with Irene more. We need a lot of practice before clogging steps become part of us.

No one acquires clogging steps in one day. Professional cloggers need hours of rehearsal before performance on stage with precision and accuracy. In addition to our weekly classes, it would be nice if golden grils can find time to practice clogging steps on our own on regular basis. From time to time, we find time to get together to forge the team spirit. The on-line video clips of clogging dance provide useful reference and inspiration.

I started tapping two years ago. Upon Trini's invitation, I joined a clogging class last year. And I learned to clog instantly. Clogging is fun and is more of a sport to me. I love the unique clogging sound of lace-up oxfords with 2-piece clinky taps on the heels and toes. The joyful American country music lifts up my spirit whenever I am in a clogging class. I always clog in the air to sweat.

Michelle once said, "We need a stage to perform, public speaking or clogging." It would be nice if we can start from a small stage, say at nursing homes and orphanages. Performing in public provides us with the motivation to practice in private. While we give joy to the elderly, we receive joy in return. A joy shared is a joy doubled. From a stage of 20 to a stage of 200, who knows, maybe someday we can go to a clogging competition in the US.

I have a dream to make Taiwan a clogging paradise. Let's charter a clogging club to promote clogging dance on this island. Let's organize clogging workshops to invite foreign clogging instructors to Taiwan to teacher us new clogging steps. It'll be fun to meet cloggers from all over the world. Let's clog into the future. Sherry

The Few. The Proud.

I read "Leading from the Front--No excuse Leadership tactics for women" by Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch. The book caught my attention immediately when it was placed on the shelf of Taipei City Library, Women and Leadership. Both Angie and Courtney became leaders during their years in the U.S. Marine Corps, the most demanding branch of the armed forces. Here are their 10 key practices to become a powerful leader.

1. Meet and exceed the standards you ask for others--lead from the front
2. Make timely decisions--find the 80 percent solution
3. Seek to take responsibility before you begin to place blame
4. True leaders dedicate themselves to service--take care of those you lead
5. Think before you act--especially before you overreact
6. When faced with a crisis-aviate, navigate, communicate
7. Courage + initiative + perseverance + integrity = success
8. Don't cry over something that won't cry over you
9. Say you're sorry only when you're at fault
10. Always lead as you are.

I'm glad that golden ladies have reached the consensus to perform an unprecedented talent show at Christmas Party this year. Even though an early start does not guarantee a successful outcome, we shall learn through the long period of preparation time to refine an ultimate entertaining program. We'll bring a lot of joy and fun to our fellow toastmasters at the end of Year 2007.

The show is about the reproduction of a famous singing program on TV in the sixties. We shall have a good opportunity to use our imagination to revive the old musical program with new emotional connections. All participants will be given one minute to copy the original singer, to mimic the body language in a look-familiar costume. It might be easier to find a singer who shares similar facial features and body build-up. But it is more important to let our body talk, to learn to portray others in a positive and amusing fashion.

As we need more toastmasters in the project, each golden lady is encouraged to recruit or recommend one to two toastmaster talents to join our show. It is a good opportunity for us to motivate people to participate in an entertaining program, to transfer toastmaster individuals into a strong and cohesive team beyond individual clubs. A Joy shared is a joy doubled. Let's learn from the women from the Marine Corps. Be "The few. The proud." Let's bring the old stars together to shine on Christmas Eve in Taipei. Sherry

Teleconferencing on Toastmasters Magazine in May

Saturday afternoon, I lay in bed till four, got dressed, coughed badly. Reluctantly I picked up the phone and called Lydia that I couldn't make it to the dinner and Toastmaster Magazine reading gathering at her home this month. I was in the middle of my serious flu. But it might not be a bad idea for us to try teleconferencing on Toastmasters Magazine for a change.

Late in the evening, I received the call from Lydia. Golden ladies had the first teleconference discussing the assigned articles in Toastmasters Magazine. Trini talked mostly. I could visualize her sweet smiles talking to me, challenging me with different questions. Kate was worried about my flu (not contagious in distance), urged me to hang up the phone to get rest. We talked for twenty minutes on the phone, not as long as I had expected, because golden ladies were not used to teleconferencing on Toastmasters Magazine.

I think teleconferencing is an alternative measure for golden ladies who couldn't show up in person at the reading gathering, but could still get connected to the group. Thanks to the advancement of telecommunication technology, everything becomes possible these days. Maybe we can organize a skype reading group to connect five reading groups in different countries to read Toastmasters Magazine at a specific time. That will be awesome!

I used teleconferencing call on the daily basis when I was with a multinational clinical trial company ten years ago. Every morning, I arrived in the office, I talked with colleagues in Australia on the poly teleconference system to report the progress of contract clinical trials in Taiwan. In the late evening, I took care of the calls from the headquarters in the US. No matter where I was, either in the office or at home, I could be reached. Just think about it, the mobile phone was not so popular at that time.

Having a flu isn't that bad in the end. Golden ladies have a new way of reading Toastmasters Magazine. I haven't had a flu for many years, it can certainly boost my immune system for a long time. Sherry

6 Golden Fairies

Look the picture! What pretty and colorful fairies we are!

Life needs stage to be performed. In Toastmasters, you have stage not only to practice speaking in public, but also to entertain audience and yourself in public. Who made the stage for the 6 fairies this time? It's the whole party working team!

Tenth anniversary is a big milestone to Legacy Toastmasters Club to celebrate this special event, I have invited other 5 golden girls from clubs to perform clogging dance in the party. They are, from right to left, Sherry Li from Grand, Kate Hsu from Prestige, Irene Chen from Formosa, (David Brooks, 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking), Trini Ding from China, me myself from Legacy and Lydia from YMIC.

The music of "Eyes like Yours" we selected is with kind of Middle East style. So the costume is better to be alike belly dancer's. The biggest challenge came to we golden girls is not the clogging dance, but the costume. From the title of belly dance, the dancer should make the belly bared. It is sexy for young girls to bare the belly, but not for we golden mothers. Surprisingly, after putting on the costume, the belly problem was only to me, not to other 5 fairies. You can see from the picture, except the 2nd left one, they are all with a beautiful and sexy belly. Can you believe it?

Before the show, I had been bothered by whether I can attend the party due to the board meeting of my company would be held in Vietnam on the same day. One month ago, when I knew that the meeting would be fallen on April 20th, I was so upset. After a few days, I just learned that the date of the meeting might be changed, I then was so happy for the news. After another few days, I was informed that the meeting would be held on April 20th as planed. I fell in a dilemma again. After discussing with my boss, I then assigned chiefs of every department to report for me in the meeting, so that I could slip away from Vietnam and run back Taipei at night of April 18th. The on and off mood made me experience a sauna. Finally, I could join this great show with other 5 fairies to play in the 10th anniversary of Legacy on April 20th. This is one of greatest memory in my life.

From the applause and positive comment from audiences, all effort and sweat we have spent are worth. In fact, once again, all the credit and merit should be attributed to the whole party team and other 5 fairies plus the dancing instructor, Jennie Wang, who had led us to practice clogging dance for more than 3 months.

I can't wait but look forward to another show to link up my dear fellow members together closely. Michelle

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Golden Ladies:

Happy Mother's Day to all you. I am sure you're are excited about the coming reading gathering this Saturday afternoon at Lydia's place, so am I. I've tried to read the April Issue from cover to cover. All articles are great. I'd like to share with you some of the sentences I like in particular. I shall use them in my future speeches.

"You can not teach an old dog new tricks!" "But you are not dogs. So you can learn new tricks!" View Point-Old Dogs and New Tricks by Johnny Uy, International President, Page 2. We are human beings, we need to learn new tricks to enrich our life, that's why I decide to join the clogging class from May.

"You will remember what you intend to say and your audience will remember what they heard!" For the Novice-5 Sure-Fire Tips for Great Speeches by Patricia Fripp, Page 6. From my personal experience, the audience will remember what they want to hear not what they heard. So I think tip 2 "who cares?" is the most important tip in a great speech.

Look before you leap in front of an audience by Dan Naden, Page 8. Indeed we need to think about what our audience wants, what our customer needs are and meet them.

"It is not about the technology, but what the technology can do for you." "Steve Jobs does not sell bits of metal, he sells an experience, he sells the benefit" Profile-Wow 'Em Like Steve Jobs, by Carmine Gallo, Page 14.

As I need to take care of an important customer from Viet-nam in two weeks, I need to go back to my home town in the middle of Taiwan this weekend to celebrate Mother's Day. Like most middle-aged women, I am caught between family and career, work and play, senior and junior generations from time to time. I treasure the Toastmaster Magazine reading moment we have together, but I also need to stay with my mother on the special day.

I thank Lydia and Harry for arranging dinner and reading gathering in May. I am sure you will have a great time. Even thought I can't join you ladies in person, my heart will be with you. Have fun and take many pictures. Linda

The King and I

I've heard Harry Fong mention more than once how impressed he was when he saw the full production of the musical The King and I at District 75 Conference in Cebu when he was the Council Governor in Taiwan. Coincidentally, Incumbent IP Johnny Uy named the same show in his viewpoint "When 1+1=3" in Toastmaster Magazine February issue 2007.

Every Toastmaster knows it takes more than thirty hours of preparation for a three minutes speech in public. That's exactly what it took us to put on the belly dance show of three minutes and fifty-eight seconds at Legacy's 10th Anniversary Party, if not more.

Immediately after the Chinese New Year, Michelle proposed golden ladies clogging Toastmasters perform something exceptional and sensational at Legacy's 10th Anniversary Party. An intensive weekly training course was in place promptly. Trini, Irene, Michelle, and Sherry learned tap dancing for a while, but Kate and Lydia were beginners. It was hard for Kate and Lydia to catch up with the rest golden ladies technically and emotionally in the beginning. But their learning attitude prevailed.

Lydia volunteered to take charge of costumes. She went to different shops all over Taipei to look for the proper costumes and accessories. Finally we eyed upon dangling and dazzling handmade belly dance costumes in six different colors with matching veils. Lydia borrowed three tambourines from her church to add more acoustic effect to our dance. Wait a minute! Can you imagine how painstaking it was to settle upon what to wear under those two tiny pieces of stunning and striking costumes in order for golden ladies to cover their middle-aged bellies?

With the stage time approaching, every dancer became anxious and apprehensive. Some worried about the exposure of their bellies, some struggled with the steps, some forgot the dance sequence. Michelle was not sure if she could come back from her business trip abroad. Kate was preoccupied with her Peking Opera performance at the Convention Party Night. Irene mother suffered stroke the night before the show. It was simply chaotic!

On the night of ToMoDaChi, when the light dimmed, six dancers stood by one another. There was a moment of silence. It was the moment of camaraderie. No sooner than later, the more than familiar Arabian music started rolling in the air, every dancer squeezed every drop of the happy and fun time to emit the beauty, passion, and excitement of the belly dance show.

Be King Harry's Harem a production of much smaller scale than The King and I, I am proud that we did it, and I just couldn't help display that smug expression on my face. Golden ladies earned a sense of achievement, we learned new communication skills, dancing, acting, and smiling in public.

People stay in Toastmasters for different reasons. What are yours to stay? I stay in Toastmasters simply because there are many rivals I can emulate and I wish I could become as good as they are one day. Sherry

ToMoDaChi--Friendship & Fun

Dear Golden Ladies Clogging Dancers,

As Club President of Legacy Toastmasters Club, I feel truly grateful that all Golden Ladies Clogging Toastmasters came to present a brilliant performance in front of an audience of 160 members and guests at our 10th Anniversary.

Your performance became a very important part of our entertaining programme because 6 delegates from Kyoto Toastmasters Club were specially invited to come to celebrate our anniversary all the way from Japan. They are members of our sister club in Japan.

More importantly, the 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking David Brooks also made his presence in this important event of Legacy. My words are not sufficient to describe the impact of your show which became the splendid feature our celebration party.

On behalf of our Anniversary Team, I would like to express our thankfulness to all of you for the time and efforts put together to deliver such a wonderful show. The music, the dancing, the passion, the shining dresses, and most importantly the beautiful lady dancers were all combined to create a dramatic presentation on stage. It was a indeed an excellent demostration of teamwork by your members.

ToMoDaChi/Friendship was the theme of our 10th Anniversary, your participation was a great reflection of this valuable theme of the celebration. As you may know, they are many positive feedbacks received for the 10th Anniversary. Your great support is highly appreciated. My salute to you all.

Best regards,
Harry Fong ATM-S
Club President of Legacy TMC