A marathon meetin'

31^st May signaled the end of yet another month. The marathon meeting started pretty late at approximately 9.55am due to an unforseen circumstance.

The SAA of the day, Jook Yew, quickly took the stage and started the meeting, not forgetting to apologise to the guests for the delay. He proceeded to ask the audience to introduce themselves, and answer the question, 'What have you done to help the victims of Cyclone Nagris and the earthquake in China?'

Next up was the Presidential address, during which Ernest proudly announced to the guests of HELP TMC's achievement in receiving the President's Distinguished Club award for the 4^th consecutive year.

It was then the Toastmaster of the Morning, Qin Mei's turn to take the stage. Perhaps in the spirit of the day of not doing things as usual, she quizzed the audience about the history of Toastmasters instead of telling it. Thank goodness the audience rose to the challenge and passed with flying colours!

First to take the stage was Denise, with her Icebreaker speech titled 'Away from Home'. She talked about her experiences away from home, first during a camp when she was 10 years old, then during her National Service stint when she was 18.

The second speaker, Kang Han, began his second assignment speech, titled 'Comic', with a joke, drawing laughter from the audience. He went on to give practical tips on how to be funny, and more importantly, he reminded the audience to remember to have fun when telling a joke.

The third speaker, Han Lian, also gave his second assignment speech, titled 'Caution'. He talked about being cautious in today's world, not only about how it is needed, but also about how it can bring disastrous results if practised to the extreme.

After that, the SAA called for a 10-minute break, after which was Qin Mei's turn to give her fifth assignment speech, titled 'Thank You'. She talked about her Toastmaster's journey thus far, and thank the people who left footprints in her life. She even gave the audience one souvenir each! (Thank you Qin Mei! :D)

Then it was something special again. TM Jasmine gave a very insightful speech from the Successful Club Series, where she gave tips on how to build the best climate for the club. She emphasised interaction with members and guests, the spirit of volunteering and a supportive environment, among others. Overall it was a very educational and insightful, and we are all grateful that she delivered it to our club.

Next up was the evaluation session. TM Jasmine, also the General Evaluator of the day, conducted the session. The first evaluator was TM John Lee, followed by TM Ernest, TM Satchit and last but not least, TM Gerard. Then the Grammarian, Jee Aik, Ah-counter, Book Keong, and Timekeeper, Kevin all gave their reports. During the evaluation session by Jasmine, she suggested that if another 'incident' like that morning's occur, we could perhaps conduct an impromtu Table Topics session. Good advice, indeed.

Lastly, it was Ernest's turn to give his closing address. He apologised profusely for that morning's delay, before moving on to present the Best Speaker and Best Evaluator awards. The Best Speaker award went to TM Han Lian, while TM John Lee took home the Best Evaluator award.


Also, he presented the Ice-Breaker Award to TM Denise, and a new member kit to TM Jaime. And as a token of appreciation, a small badge was given to TM Jasmine Leong for her support to this club.

Finally, the meeting adjourned at 12.00 noon. What an eventful day indeed! Before I forget, a big THANK YOU to all the guests who came: TM Jasmine, TM Gerard, TM Chia (all the way from Ipoh!), TM Satchit, Carmen, Cassandra (Ernest's sister), Bella, Keng Yik, Hong Yee and Chiraq.

Cheers,

Pui Yee.