Taman Indrahana Toastmasters decided to team up with Stamford College Toastmasters by having a Joint Meeting on November 09 at the latter’s premise in Jalan Barat, PJ. Normally, attendance at joint meetings is just so-so, especially if it is not hosted at our own venue. But it was most heartening to see seventeen Indrahanians came to give support! I was visibly touched!
In fact, it was also a special gathering because it was Hong Yuan’s last meeting with us before she leaves for the UK to join her husband. And so, I came, tears welling in my eyes and before the evening was over, I had selfishly grabbed one whole box of tissues for myself, only to leave behind a crumpled and sodden mass of wringing-wet sheets that marked my teary-eyed farewell. I am sure the others felt the same except that they were made of sterner stuff and so they hid their sadness very well!
In the large room at Stamford College that served as our meeting room, forty-six Toastmasters and guests came, packing themselves in like sardines but yet looking more like sunny side up eggs. And why not? A Toastmasters meeting can just about refresh us after a long hard day’s work – yep, according to one reliable study, it has been known to rouse, revitalize and rejuvenate us (Victor Ong, 2010). Besides, it was not only Toastmasters from Taman Indrahana and Stamford College but also those from Sime Darby Healthcare (Shirly Bak), MAS Mawar (Emil Anthony), D’Utama Advanced (Foong Weng Tuck), Universiti Malaya (Fun), Scope (Reuben), Metro (Helen Quat), HICT (Alan Tan) and Multimedia University (Hmmn, I didn’t managed to write his name down!) who flock to this part of town for a meeting that could only be described as enriching.
Stamford TMC’s president, Bushra Fanal gave her opening address, followed by an invocation that was impregnated with meaning – she talked about faith, hope and love!
There was certainly a lot of food for thought. Definitely, she got everybody’s attention because in chasing fame, wealth and glory, many of us – without realizing it – may have surrendered faith, hope and love; in other words, we lose ourselves when we blindly pursue career and ambition.
Indrahanian Thian Seng took the stage as the Toastmaster-of-the-Evening, and I noticed that the young Toastmasters sat glued to their seats, their eyes opened wide with wonder because he mesmerized them with his words! A matured display of experience and class, a demonstration that came with panache and aplomb.
Stamfordian Amy Choo dressed in an alluring saree took control next and we had a Table Topics session that was built around the “Deepavali” theme. Five speakers stepped forward to give their 2-minute take on the Festival of Lights, including May Yong, our irrespressible and rhapsodical Indrahanian. The Humor session quickly followed and this was magnificently handled by another of our ebullient and insuppressible Indrahanian, Alice Ong. The break came next but alas, the food was almost gone and so for those who came late and didn’t have any dinner – they were met by the hungry growls of their stomachs! I didn’t think our hosts had anticipated so many to turn up for this meeting though. Thankfully, we didn’t contribute to this problem – I had confirmed that sixteen of us will be attending and seventeen turned up.
After the “food-less” break, the speeches were heard. We have two representatives, Philip Lee and Karen Sze Tho delivering their CC speeches #2 and #5 respectively. The other two speakers were Reuben and Rommel Daya. I really enjoyed all the speeches and they sparkled and they impressed. Philip, for once, stopped his prancing and anchored himself behind the lectern, to give a well-constructed speech that oozed with authority and composure. And I fell over my chair when he ended his speech with a gem of a statement: “Old coaches never die, they just lose their balls”! Karen was of course, her usual eloquent self, with good poise, good delivery and good content. And yes, we learnt of her passion, that is, laughter yoga.
Following Thian Seng’s cue, a pretty damsel in the form of Helen Quat, took over the reins as the General Evaluator, and she introduced the evaluators, one after another. Distinguished Indrahanian, Fong Ming as Table Topics evaluator was first and struck us dumb with her stage presence and as she fed us with morsels of input, we bowed our heads in awe and I saw not a few whose mouths gasped in revered veneration. Then the Project Speech evaluators – two of whom were Indrahanians, the bubbly and effervescent Jade Lee and the acclaimed and celebrated LeAnn Tang who generously filled us up with praiseworthy feedback that made us marvel at their ability to weave words and piece together phrases that were complete lessons in themselves. The other two evaluators were no less capable, especially Foong Weng Tuck who not only gave a chirpy and cheerful appraisal, but one that was insightful and wise, befitting his years of sophisticated living.
After that, we had in quick succession, the technical evaluators – Choi Woon was our Indrahanian who took on the role of Grammarian. With that, the GE gave her take on the meeting, and she declared that it was “almost a perfect meeting”. I couldn’t agree more – it was a stupendous effort to organize this Joint Meeting and credit must be given to Stamfordians, Bushra and Grace for a job well done!
Our Kay Wong gave a closing address and predictably gave us a story to take home. This time she told us about a man astride a donkey with a dog in tow! I was still weeping unabashedly – yep, Yuan has this effect on me! – and so I wasn’t really paying attention. Sorry, Kay! Anyhow, I believe when she was narrating to us about the traveling threesome, she was giving us an analogy of the Toastmasters journey that we are embarking on, that in this journey we are making – we are not alone! Like everything in Toastmasters, we provide a supportive environment for everyone – and when we are among Toastmasters, I can vouch that you will find caring company that is second to none.
A big THANK YOU to all seventeen Indrahanians who came, and I hope to see you again – as well as the others who did not manage to come – to our next meeting on November 23 – at our usual place at our usual time.
Victor Ong
Vice President Education 2010-2011
Taman Indrahana Toastmasters Club
25 Glorious Years!
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