さよなら 2010

Meet Golden Lady Toastmaster Linda Tseng of Excellence Toastmasters Club. Linda has been learning Japanese dance for two years. She has calendar girl photos taken to share with Toastmasters her joy and happiness and to wish every Toastmaster a flowery and prosperous year of 2011.

New Year Eve 2010

It was the most exciting New Year Eve in my life. The evening agenda was filled with exciting celebration activities. My heart was filled with joy, gratitude, and hope. I listened to the 64th Handel’s Messiah Concert of YMCA Oratorio Choir's with seven Toastmasters at Zhongshan Hall, including Harry Fong, George Yen, and five golden ladies, upon the invitation of Toastmaster Lydia Lin.

The premiere night of Messiah Concert with the double pianos, percussion troupe and hand bells group was mesmerizing. I felt being transcended back to the times of George Frideric Handel in 1742, the moment the concert began. The composing talent of Dr. Wen-pin Hope Lee was outstanding. The performance of YMCA Oratorio Choir was impressive under the leadership of Conductor Sun ai-kuang. At the end of Part II, everybody was excited to stand up when the chorus sang Hallelujah! What a glorious moment it was at the new year eve of 2010.

After the concert, I rushed against the north wind on my scooter at a speech of 20 kilometers to the District 67 count down party of 70 toastmasters at a Chinese restaurant near Taipei 101. The traffic was so heavy with many motorcyclists heading for the Taipei 101. I arrived at the Toastmasters count down party late, but in time for birthday cake cutting and lucky draw. It was a touching moment when Toastmasters joined hands to sing Happy 100 to the Republic of China!

The spectacular pyrotechnics display at Taipei 101 at 12 midnight attracted one hundred thousands people near Hsin-yi Business Area. When the count down began, the Taipei 101 was like on fire in many colors for four minutes. People hugged and kissed one another on the streets to celebrate the happy moment. The New Year's Eve celebration parties and gatherings brought about the prosperous beginning of the New Year of 2011. Happy New Year!

Taipei Then and Now

Among all metropolitan cities in the world, I like Taipei the best. It is a city of rich histories, versatile cultures, and demanding and giving people. Taipei has a lot to offer, from the Palace Museum, the Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei 101, night markets, not to mention many big and small theaters.

I saw the Jewelry Pouch*, the last show of the Beijing Opera Theater of Fujian Province, with Toastmaster Kate Hsu and Gina Fu at Chung-shan Hall this evening. Before the show, three of us enjoyed wanton soups at a 50 year-old Wen-chou Wanton Shop on Tao-yuan Street. The shop was busy like a market, full of loyal patrons and new comes. What could be better off than having a good bowl of Wanton Soup before seeing an authentic Peking Opera at the Chung-san Hall?

Among the seven performances of Fukien Beijing Opera Theater, I was lucky to be able to see three of them. I sat at the 4th row number 30 on 12/25, at the 3rd row number 20 on 12/27, at the 3rd row number 2 on 12/30, as I sat closer to the stage, I could see better the hand gestures, eye contacts, and body movements of the performers. I sat between two gentlemen, one was a senior citizen originally from Tien-jin, the other was a young gentleman fan of Chinese oepra.

After the last show, Kate and I were honored to have a photo with the Principal of Fukien Beijing Opera Theater. Principal Liu was very pleased with the performance of 89 members of her Opera Theater on stage at the Chung-shan Hall. She was very impressed with the numbers and quality of Chinese Opera fans in Taipei. From the big smile on her face, I knew she was contented with their successful opera tour in 2010 in Taipei. She looked forward to meeting more Beijing opera fans in Taipei in the future.

Taipei then, during the second half of the 20th century, was fully charged with energies. Everybody was busy contributing to the fast growing economy of the Formosa. After work, people in Taipei would enjoy the night life at Hsin-men (West Gate) District, Chung-san Hall, Military Arts Center, Tri-services Club, big or small restaurants of various cuisines from all over China. Taipei then, was a city of delight and pleasure to the eyes, ears, and mouths.

Taipei now attracts more attention from the world. People across the strait are waiting in line to come see the Formosan Jewel. Some are eager to invest in the real estate of Taipei. The older I get, the more I enjoy meandering along the samll alleys in Taipei to reminisce the good days of Taipei then.

Remarks:
*The Jewelry Pouch tells a rich bride gave away her jewelry pouch to a poor bride who was crying at Spring Autumn Pavilion on a rainy wedding day. The rich bride heard the poor bride cry because of her lack of dowries, the rich bride gave the priceless jewelry pouch to the poor bride without leaving her name.

Six years late, the rich lady lost her family due to the flood in her hometown. She found a job as a servant to look after a rich man’s son. She cried when she found her jewelry pouch in the loft by accident. When the rich man's wife heard of the news, she was grateful for the jewelry pouch, help once rich bride reunite with her husband and son.

The Jewelry Pouch is an old popular story. It is to praise the altruistic behavior of human beings and the merit to reciprocate the good deeds from others.

Peking Opera Then and Now

Toastmaster Kate Hsu is a Peking Opera fan. Whenever she has the chance, she sees the Peking operas at the National Theater, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, and Chung-shan Hall. On weekends, she practices singing Peking opera with fans and instructors. With her fervent influence, many golden ladies have become Peking opera fans in the past few years.

Kate has good connections with the Peking opera circle in Taiwan. She follows the news of the most recent Peking opera events. She knows where to get the tickets, either at a good discount or free of charge. When Fukien Beijing Opera House arrived in Taipei, Kate was eager to give away free tickets to encourage friends to see their Peking operas at Chung-shan Hall during the Christmas holidays.

Saturday evening, December 25th, I saw their very first show of Chuncao Intrudes Court*. I was very much mesmerized by the new artistic form of Peking opera. When Fukien TV anchor asked me how I enjoyed the show from Fukien, I told her I enjoyed the Peking opera very much. The anchor corrected me I should have said Beijing Opera in stead of Peking opera. I asked her what the difference was between Beijing Opera and Peking opera. I thought they meant the same opera. In fact, Peking opera is a term obsolete in China.

Monday evening, December 27th, I saw Fukien Beijing Opera House's fourth show of When the North Wind Blows**. I was fascinated by their performance on stage and accompanying orchestra. After the show, I invited Toastmaster Kate and Uncle Hu for a cup of hot drink at the Rido Cafe' across the street from Chung-shan Hall. Kate commented that When the North Wind Blows was like a Model opera. Even though I heard of Model operas many times when I was young, I never knew what they meant. It was the first time I became curious about Model operas Monday evening.

Model operas were engineered during the first three years of Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) by Jiang Qing, the wife of Chairman Mao Zedong. They were considered "revolutionary" and modern in terms of thematic and musical features when compared with traditional operas. Model operas are sometimes accompanied by a piano, a cello, or an entire symphony of full Western orchestra. They were made to serve the interests of the workers, peasants, and soldiers.

Unlike European opera, model operas were a popular political art. During the cultural revolution, Eight model operas (1. The Legend of the Red Lantern, 2. Shajiabang, 3. Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, 4. Sweeping the White Tiger Regiment, 5. Praise of Dragon River, 6. The Harbor, 7. The White Haired Girl, 8. Detachment of Women) were played on TV and Radio everyday. They remain popular even today, over thirty years after the Cultural Revolution. Many Chinese citizens were familiar with the arias in these model operas and would sing them at home or on the streets.

Peking operas in Taiwan preserve the old traditions in terms of thematic and musical features. There are set melodies for different emotions. There are set movements for various meanings. The accompanying orchestra is composed of Chinese music instruments only. Most Peking opera fans in Taiwan still prefer the traditional operas to the modern operas. It is about the taste, it is also about the familiarity.

With the constant exchanges of modern Beijing Operas in China and traditional Peking Operas in Taiwan, many new Chinese opera repertoires have been developed in recent years. Many young Chinese opera talents are excelling in the their performance on stage. Many Chinese opera fans are born in Taiwan and in China.

My father was born in Peking, my mother was a Peking opera fan, my grandfather from my mother's side was an amateur opera singer. With the Peking opera gene in me, I was brought up in an atmosphere of Peking opera. I was even on stage once to play a tongueless walk-on in a Peking opera two decades ago.

One of my new year resolutions for 2011 is to see the 8 model operas to understand their impact on modern Beijing operas in China for the past four decades. I want to thank Kate for connecting Peking opera with me again in year 2010.

Remarks:
* Chuncao Intrudes Court (春草闖堂) tells how a clever maid Chuncao intruded on the court to save a hero who had saved Chuncao's Lady, but was accused of murdering the villain. Chuncao lied to the magistrate of a marriage agreement between the hero and her lady, and the marriage between her lady and the hero was eventually appointed by the emperor.

Chuncao Intrudes Court, is originated as Puxian opera, one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera. Puxian opera features exquisite stylized movements. Puxian opera originated from puppet shows, performed in a local dialect, is popular in the southeastern Fukien Province.

** When the North Wind Blows (北風緊) tells a Chinese scholar Shih Yi-shen was caught between his native country and Jing Empire where he served as the Interior Minister in the 12th century. When young, Shih failed the examination to serve his home country. He wandered to the Northland, and was rescued by the daughter of Jing's National Defense Minister. Shih married the foreign girl, raised their family, got promoted in Jing Empire.

Shih advocated peace between China and Jing to avoid the suffering of people during the war. Shih was dispatched by the Emperor of Jing to negotiate peace with China. When he found out he was deceived by his colleagues in Jing Empire, he unveiled the news of Jing's intention to invade China. In the end, Jing Empire was defeated. When Shih returned to Jing, he confessed to his betrayal, he was sentenced to death before China agreed to sign the peace deal with Jing.

When the North Wind Blows is a new historic opera about the life of Shih, his dilemma between his family and friends in his hometown and his family and career in a foreign country. It is considered as a model opera, because of the ideology of the story.

Year-End Party of Legacy Toastmasters Club

Thirty Toastmasters sang late Christmas carols at the annual year-end party of Legacy Toastmasters Club hosted by Toastmaster Harry Fong, Founder of Legacy and Past D67 Governor, at his grand mansion, Sunday evening.

George Yen, 2nd International Vice President, and Mike Yang, Incumbent D67 Governor, were the toastmasters guests of honor. Four golden ladies Toastmasters, Michelle, Pamela, Trini, and I, joined the year-end party upon the invitation of Lydia Lin, Harry's beloved better half every year.

I was full of excitements about my debut chamber recital a cappella in front of Toastmasters fellows. It was a surprise. Nobody knew that I would sing. In order to break my leg, I practiced Pie Jesu and O Mio Babbino Caro a few times before I dressed up and fetched a big bottle of red wine from the cellar.

The traffic was smooth Sunday evening. It took me less than thirty minutes to get to Harry's mansion from Hsin-tien. It was cold and dry on the street. Everybody seemed to stay home after the Christmas weekend, in order to get ready for work the following week.

The year-end party started at seven o'clock. Four golden ladies were early birds. We helped Harry set the table, we helped Harry entertain the guests, we helped Harry taste the delicious food he and Lydia prepared affectionately. We ate, drank, and sang like we were at home. In the middle of the party, Harry announced my recital excitedly, upon my request.

I attempted O Mio Babbino Caro first. I was out of tone at the beginning and I forgot the lyrics. Being in a positive and supportive learning environment, I was encouraged by toastmastes around me to give it another try with music notes in my hand. I finished the entire song non-stop. Harry was eager to give evaluation. Mike told me in private that it was a good try.

When Lydia arrived at the year-end party after her rehearsal of Messiah with YWCA Oratorio Choir, I invited her to sing Pie Jesu with me. Before we finished the song, Harry couldn't wait for us to do it again some time later when Lydia and I are much better prepared.

The Debut Concert Recital was a good begining. I was glad that I made it. In 365 days, I shall let toastmasters open their eyes and delight their ears at the annual year-end party of Legacy Toastmasters Club in 2011. It is going to be one of my new year resolutions!

It was after 11PM, when the Toastmasters were ready to call it a night. Every toastmaster who hung around till the last moment carried a bag of desserts to take home. On my way home, there was no traffic. I rode my motorcycle at the speed of 60 kilometers plus with all my nerves on alert. In a swift, I arrived home in one piece, took a hot shower, and snuggled in my warm bed.

Merry Christmas to Linda & Sharon

I saw the growth of Helen in Toastmasters, from a hardworking single lady, to a happy married woman, to a contented mother of twin daughters, Linda & Sharon, born in November 2010. Toastmaster Helen Lin was born in 1975, the year Grand
Toastmasters Club was founded.

Being excited to hold Linda & Sharon in my arms for the first time on Christmas Day 2010 like a proud grandmother, I looked at the cute fraternal twin girls and prayed that in 18 years, they will grow up to be two outstanding Toastmasters, like their mother and father. I look forward to seeing Linda & Sharon grow up in the positive and supportive learning environment in Toastmasters.

Toastmasters Helen Lin and Talun Sung joined Grand Toastmasters Club in 2003 respectively. Talun proposed to Helen in front of the Granders in 2004. They joined hands together to organize Grand’s glorious 30th anniversary party in 2005, when Helen was the Club President of Grand Toastmasters Club.

On Christmas Day 2010, six Granders paid a visit to newly born Linda & Sharon. Helen’s face was beamed with the pride of mother of two. She talked about stories about her pregnancy, her delivery, her breast feeding, the daily biological activities of Linda & Sharon. Jimmy talked about his grown-up twin sons. I was all ears, because I didn’t have children to talk about. Erin, Carrie, Judy, and Tiffany were waiting in line to have their baby Toastmasters in the future.

In the evening, Toastmaster Angela Huang and I saw a Peking Opera at Chung-shan Hall. I was mesmerized by the performance of Chuncao Intrudes Court by Fu-kien Opera House founded in 1948. They have the first class national directors, singing actors, actresses, and the percussion masters. After the show, I was interviewed by the Fukien Television by accident. I told the TV anchor that I enjoyed the repertoire, the performance, the singing, the accompanying orchestra. Chinese Opera will definitely become the major artistic genre with many outstanding young talents in China.

Christmas Party at Nursing Home 2010

Every year Hsin-tien Volunteers group is responsible for the birthday party and Christmas Party at the nursing home in December. I was happy that I could organize the entertaing program for the past three years. This year, I invited two groups to perform, one group was Falla Flamenco Family, the other was Hsin-yi Community Dance Troupe. I joined both groups to perform flamenco and indian dances on stage!

Toastmaster Pamela picked me and my flamenco dancer teacher Manzana in Hsin-tien at 12 noon. Three of us had lunch at a country style restaurant in the mountains near the nursing home. Manzana was so excited when she saw a cute pink pig. With the help of the restaurant owner, Pamela and I got hold of the little fellow in my arms. The poor cutie was so frightened and kept struggling and screaming. I told Pamela that I knew why it was painstaking to slaughter the pig and pull the hair (殺豬拔毛).

After lunch, we arrived at the Chung-hsin Hall one hour in advance to rehearse. Many elderly residents were already waiting in the hall. They were anxious to celebrate their birthdays. No sooner than later I arrived at the Chung-hsin Hall, I was busy putting on makeup and false eyelashes. Between the third program of flamenco dance and the six program of Indian dance, I had to change costumes and wigs. Times flied so fast.

After the Christmas Party, Pamela gave me a ride back from the nursing home to Hsin-tien. I was glad to make it to the last choral lesson in year 2010. I practiced with Hsin-tien Women Chorus for the second half of the class. Our chorus conductor was pleased with our progress in vocalization skills in 2010. She planned to convince us to join the chorus competition in Taipei in year 2011.

After the chorus practice, I was ready for the Christmas Party at the Hsin-yi Community Center. The pot luck dinner party started at 7 o’clock. I was the second dancer to arrive to set up my newly bought waffle maker and eggs beater to make the waffles. As more dancers arrived, the table was full of delicious home made dishes. One dancer brought the gas tank to make the Oden. Her condiment for Oden was so yummy, but she didn’t want to share her secret recipe. Another dancer brought four bottles of wines. Quality aside, the quantity of the Christmas dinner could feed an army of 100 soliders.

After dinner, the ladies members of the Hsin-yi Community Dance Troupe were divided into two groups to take turns showing off the dances of year 2010. Instructor Kuan played the CD and dancers were requested to dance to the music on the spot. It was like the final examination of 2010. It was fun and challenging! When the last group dance finished, it was ten minutes past ten. Everybody was contented with food, drink, and dance. Dancing is really fun, especially on Christmas Eve.

Hsin-tien Women Association Year End Party

Being the first timer to the yearend party of Hsin-tien Women Association, I was full of excitements to join the dinner party this evening.

I've lived in Hsin-tien for almost three decades, since I finished my graduate studies in the US in 1983. At first, I didn't participate in any community affairs till I changed my career as a part-time pharmacist. I had more free time. And I became interested in the volunteer group activities in Hsin-tien. I signed up singing and dancing classes when time allowed. It felt good to make acquaintance with the residents in the Hsin-tien area.

I joined the Hsin-tien Women Chorus in April this year. Immediately after I joined the chorus, I was notified that I needed to join Hsin-tien Women Association, because Hsin-tien Women Chorus is a subgroup of Hsin-tien Women Association. At first, I was reluctant, simply because I thought Hsin-tien Women Associationit was a political group. After I joined the women's association in Hsin-tien, to my surprise, I knew many old faces. After all, we all live in Hsin-tien. It is natural we bump into each other day in and day out.

The dinner party started at 6 o'clock this evening. Every lady member was happy to pay the membership fee of NT$500 dollars. The party venue was full of Christmas atmosphere. Each women group were invited to perform on stage. Hsin-tien Women Chorus sang two songs, 高山青 and 掌聲響起! What could be more blissful than having a good time with family and friends during Christmas season?

Debut Flamenco Dance

Life is a journey of unknown. You never know when you will come to the crossroad.

When my Japanese dance teacher told me that I needed to add more passion to interpret 桂銀淑’s Besamemucho, I thought it was time I learned an authentic Spanish dance to understand the feelings and love of Spanish people. That’s how I embarked upon my flamenco dance journey four months ago.

I surfed on the internet and found a free trial flamenco lesson at Falla Flamenco FamilyTuesday afternoon, July 20th. Five visitors showed up, including four ladies and one gentleman. Our flamenco dance teacher Manzana Lee is a young and sweet lady. She founded the Falla Flamenco Family with her husband Joseleon, an outstanding flamenco guitar player, in 2004.

In order to know more about the Falla Flamenco Family, I invited Toastmaster Irene Chen and her sister to see their live performance at Barcelona Restaurant Saturday evening, July 24th. The one hour live show featured a singer (Manzana), a guitar player (Joseleon), and many young and beautiful flamenco dancers on stage. I liked their romantic and authentic way to present the flamenco dance to the audience. At the end of the performance, five guests were invited to dancer with Falla Flamenco Family members and each was presented with a small gift as the token of appreciation. I signed up my first flamenco dance class with Falla Flamenco Family in early August.

Four ladies at the trial dance started the first term of 8 lessons to learn the popular dance from Seville (Andalusia). After learning the first part for two months, one student dropped out, Fiona joined our class as a returned student in October.

The sevillana is an old folk dance, composing of 4 parts with the rhythm of 3/4 or better 6/8. Each part is divided into 3 coplas, and with each copla made up of 6 movements. It is a very vivid dance, full of turns. The sevillanas is danced by couples of all ages and genders during celebrations. This is why learning flamenco usually starts with the sevillana.

I was glad to have Fiona as my dancing partner. At the first sight of her, I knew Fiona was a born flamenco dancer. She had it all, tall, slim, dark hair, big eyes, sexy lips. She gave people a strong impression of her personality, likes and dislikes. Fiona began the flamenco dance three years ago, and took a recess for a long time.

In order to break our legs at Falla's Christmas Party, Fiona and I practiced very hard for the past two weeks. We practiced everywhere in Taipei, in front of an office building, in front of a temple, at the park, at the coffeehouse. We were the first couple to arrive at the Christmas party venue to rehearse.

When the party began, Toastmaster Irene and her sister showed up just in time. I was grateful for their support and help taking photos and videoclips of my debut flamenco dance on stage. As the beginners of flamenco dance, we were the second group to dance on stage. When it was our turn, Fiona and I walked tall with big and confident smiles on our faces. Four of us danced with the same hand gestures, turned at the same time at the perfect timing. In the end, we wowed the audience and won a big applause from the floor.

Falla Flamenco Family has a tradition to host two big flamenco events every year. I was contented to have my Debut Flamenco Dance at Chirstmas party 2010. By the time, I finish all four parts of the sevillana dance at Falla Flamenco Family, I shall be ready to perform my second flamenco dance in public at the Summer Flamenco Festival 2011 in Taipei.

It's my plan to visit Seville in April 2012 to participate in their annual La Feria de Sevilla. When I told Fiona about my plan, she asked if she could come along. "Of course, with great pleasure", I told Fiona, "we shall be the most attractive and charming sevillana dancers from Taiwan.

PS: The mnemonic chant rhyme, Part I includes Copla 1:基本步 X 5 + ending turn, Copla 2: 基本步 + 劃輪 X 4 + ending turn, Copla 3 基本步 + a half turn X 4 + pose turn; Part II includes Copla 1:基本步 + 踏踏踏 + 踏鉤踩 X 3 + ending turn, , Copla 2: 基本步+ 踏踏踏 + 踏扭扭 X 6 + ending turn, Copla 3 基本步+ 踏踏踏 + 轉時鐘 + pose turn.

Peace Finale 2010

It was the third consecutive busy Saturday in December. I got up early to write the captions of the photos I took of the Toastmasters from District 76 yesterday evening. Then I rushed to Taipei Leechi to buy eight boxes of pineapples cakes as souvenirs for my friends from afar.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, I arrived at the meeting venue to chat with long-time-no-see members of Pacific and Peace Toastmasters Clubs. At 1:30PM, I volunteered to serve the Sergeant-at-Arms to announce the start of the meeting and to invite President Wang of Peace Toastmasters Club to preside the last meeting in 2010.

As usual, the meeting started with the variety session. Upon the request of the session master Professor Wang, we were divided into two groups, members group and guests group. I was appointed as the leader of the guests group to compete with the members group to see which group between the two can answer more quizzes prepared by Professor Wang. In the end, the guests group won, Japanese no doubt knew more about their language and culture.

Three prepared speeches aroused a great amount of emotions in the audience. Toastmaster Abiko Katsuhiro talked about the indispensable book in his life. When he was in college, his father passed away all of a sudden. As the eldest son, he had to return home to shoulder the family responsibilities. The indispensable book of his, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie, helped him go through the difficult and challenging times. Toastmaster Iwashita Etsuko talked about the family members of suicide victims. Being one family member of the suicide victim, she delivered the speech with tears in her eyes throughout her speech. Toastmaster Sue Wun talked about her experience to search for her family history. With the internet, she collected a great deal amount of information about her grandmother who she barely had any memories.

During the intermission, we enjoyed three boxes of delicious cookies and chocolate candies from Japanese Toastmasters. Peace club officers also prepared eight cups of Tapioca Pearls Milk Tea for our dear fellow members from District 67 to reciprocate their generosity and kindness.

After the intermission, Keynote speaker Abe Masafumi talked about the Japanese and jokes. He commented that people of different nationalities appreciated jokes in many different ways. He grouped jokes into five categories, and told one joke from each category. He also told four jokes about Japanese people. One of them went like this. The Japanese usually laugh about the jokes for three times. The first time, they laugh for the purpose of laughing. The second time, they laugh because they understand the meaning of the joke. The third time, they laugh because they get hold of the punch line.

The tabletopics session was conducted by Immediate Past President Hong. She prepared questions about gratitude, harvest, reflection, planning in December. I was called upon to review my new year resolutions of 2010. I stood up and announced that I should have written more articles on my blog, and I tried to catch up in December to finish a total of 100 articles as planned. I should have spent more time with my loving husband for his support of me traveling abroad often. In the meantime, I needed to attend many Toastmasters functions to enrich my blog and my life.

Even the Peace Finale Meeting 2010 started ten minutes late, and the variety session was five minutes overtime, we ended our last meeting on time, at 4PM sharp. The end is well, all is well. Year 2010 was concluded with a perfect ending with the witnesses of 8 Toastmasters from District 76.


Dinner party, also the year end party, was held at the King-en Chinese Restaurant. Three tables of members and guests from Japan gathered together to enjoy a good meal and a happy moment to bid farewell to one another, and to the year of 2010. We sang, we danced, we ate, we drank, we talked, we strengthened the friendship between Taiwanese and Japanese. We consolidated the relationships between the Toastmasters members of Districts 67 & 76.

Toastmasters from District 76

Seven toastmasters arrived in Taipei this evening, including 安部雅文 ABE MASAFUMI(武蔵小杉クラブ), 酒井こずゑ SAKAI KOZUE(輝クラブ), 酒井愛里 SAKAI AIRI, 渡辺吉人 WATANABE YOSHIHITO(神楽阪クラブ), 安孫子勝広 ABIKO KATSUHIRO(神楽阪クラブ), 宮本文江 MIYAMOTO FUMIE(神楽阪クラブ), 小堀則之 KOBORI NORIYUKI(築波クラブ). After the direct flight between Taipei and Tokyo resumed, the distance between two metropolitan cities became shorter. More and more Japanese Toastmasters are learning Mandarin. I'm planning to take the direct flight to the charter ceremony of the first Mandarin Toastmasters Club in Japan in 2011.

Three Taiwanese Toastmasters, Lydia, Mei-miao, and I, joined the dinner party to make it a perfect ten. In the middle of the dinner, Toastmaster Watanabe proposed each member gave a short self-introduction. Sakai Airi was the first lady to break the ice, she attempted to speak in Mandarin, I volunteered to be her interpreter. Followed by Kobori Noriyuki, he also introduced himself in Mandarin. When it was my turn to convert his message into Japanese, to my surprise, I translated Kobori's words into Mandarin. I spoke Mandarin like a foreigner, as if Mandarin were not my mother tongue. Weather it was due to the few glasses of beer or not, I was amazed at my feeling about the Japanese language. I felt Japanese was my mother tongue for the first time.

Toastmaster Watanabe is a Taiwan fan. He comes to Taipei twice a year to enjoy the Chinese cuisine, the Toastmasters meetings, and the Taipei marathon. He doesn’t come alone. He brings old members and first timers with him every time. He is the Toastmaster Ambassador of D76 in Taiwan. His wife gave birth of their first child in October this year. Toastmaster Watanabe is excited to bring the little son to Taiwan when he is three. I look forward to teaching him the Mandarin language.

I love Chinese food very much, the Chinese food tastes twice good among Japanese Toastmasters members. I never miss the chance to enjoy the Peking duck with Japanese Toastmasters, especially at "The Dragon" Restaurant where my father used to take us to have the authentic Peking cuision in my childhood.

My father was born in Peking. He came to Taiwan in 1949. I am his eldest child. From my childhood, my father talked about the delicious Peking food. Whenever we came to Taipei from Chia-yi, we were eager to taste the best Peking food at "The Dragon" in Taipei. After the good meal, we would take the train back to Chia-yi for four hours. The Peking duck tastes thrice good with my father looking over me in the heaven.

"It is such a pleasure to have friends coming from afar", said Confucius two thousands and five hundred years ago. Many thanks go to Toastmasters from District 76 for bringing back my sweet childhood memories. The Peking duck tastes more delicious as I grow older and wiser in Toastmasters!