19th April 2016 – Following bread crumbs

As acting Sergeant at Arms for the second time, TM Dalton Lim piquantly opened the meeting with great zest by first enlightening the audience on the existence of the four clubs in Brunei before educating us with the origins of Toastmasters. After introducing the guests, he passed the baton to the Toastmaster of the Evening, TM Supatra Lee. She introduced the evening with the analogy of the audience as a tour bus and her as the guide. However, the tour would not have been complete without help from her office bearers.

Jason Koo, CC, ALB served as Table Topics Master and set a theme: using ‘Chinese whispers’ or scenario-based questions to describe delicious food. TM Heidi Rahman, the Grammarian, introduced the Word of the Day, which speakers were encouraged to use where possible. The word was piquant, an adjective describing a pleasantly sharp taste or appetizing flavour. It can also refer to something pleasantly stimulating or exciting to the mind.

The Timer & Tip, TM Macalister Mak advised the speakers to prepare early so as not to go overtime. Upon receiving the floor back from Macalister, Supatra was thankful to have been well prepared ahead of time with a script in hand. The evening’s role players have certainly added value to the tour by sharing their tips and encouragements.  Thank you everyone.

While TM Supatra was gathering role players a week ago, there was a surplus of expressions of interest for roles that some members were turned down. Feeling sad that not everyone can be accommodated for a perfect meeting, she shared a thought of the day that roles will always be available on each subsequent week after for a perfect meeting.

As she began her first CC1 Ice Breaker speech, TM Lim Mei Ann intrigued the audience by telling them two stories about how she earned her nickname, Trouble. The first began on a gloomy London day last year when her family came to attend her PhD convocation. Upon arriving at her Covent Garden studio apartment, she was scurrying about, moving her family’s luggage into the apartment only to realise one was unaccounted for. She immediately dashed downstairs and sighed with relief when she saw the missing suitcase outside the lobby. As she reached for the suitcase, she was stopped by man who began to question her on whether or not she owned the suitcase. During her claim of the bag, a middle-eastern man came into the mix which entailed to calling in the police for a potential bomb scarce. Trouble ensued earlier that year on New Year’s Day, when Mei Ann and her boyfriend Anthony were seated in a Pizza Hut where she dawdled over the menu for almost an hour. Anthony succumbed to hunger and suggested ordering three different dishes to share. Ultimately they regretted their indecision as they were unable to finish all their food. When she’s not causing trouble, Mei Ann undertakes research, studies accountancy and lectures classes.  After justifying her nickname, she concluded the speech by calling on those present to support her Toastmaster journey even though she may have caused trouble in the past.

Well done Mei Ann, you’ve delivered a commendable speech without the use of notes.

TM Tieng Chwei Peng’s presented a CC7 – Research Your Topic speech entitled Travel in Terror? She shared how her plans to travel to Brussels with friends were devastated when an explosion occurred in Brussels resulting in severe travel restrictions imposed by the EU. She began to research the possibility of a second attack. It turned out that a likelihood of another attack is one in twenty million compared to a one in eleven thousand probability of road death in Brunei. In light of these probabilities, TM Peng was determined not to forfeit her hotel and flight bookings despite her concerns. She researched some tips to stay safe, such as not to linger in any transportation hubs or crowded urban areas because there is a higher risk of attack. TM Peng concluded by reminding the audience to only travel with peace of mind.  Thank you for sharing steps to stay safe while travelling.

Hazwan Kamarulzaman, ACB, ALB, retold the well-known fairy tale Hansel and Gretel as an ACS Story-Telling Speech Project. He brought the story to life with a strong narration and expressive body language to engage the audience.

Shortly after the break, Table Topic Master Jason entertained the audience with a short guessing game where an impromptu speaker would describe a food for the audience to guess. The first player was TM Jidun Dollah who described a pepperoni pizza by suggesting it could be purchased at Tasconi restaurants.

TM Lim Mei Ann then vividly described a flaming red Malaysian dish by listing several ingredients. This was enough for a member of the audience to guess Kuching Laksa.

Brendan Ti, CC, ALB then took the audience through the health benefits of eating apples based around the old proverb ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’.

Our guest Yvonne then continued on the subject of apples with her sales pitch for a one dollar device which easily removes apple cores.

When asked to demonstrate how to cook spaghetti Bolognese, TM Rahmat Tarsat sheepishly admitted that she hadn’t learned to cook until studying abroad. Yet she was able to show how to prepare a jar of sauce and boil water for spaghetti.

 

Any Other Business

TM Dalton informed those present that an Area K6 Dinner would be held on 28^th May at iLotus to appreciate and recognize outstanding members who have made major contributions as Toastmaster.

TM Gerald Goh wrapped up the meeting with a closing remark on behalf of the absent president, commending Grammarian Heidi who was proactive in preparing for her role, along with TM Awfa Nawawi, (Ah Counter and Who Said What) who were undertaking their roles for the first time.   Thus concluded another inspiring and successful meeting.

Written by;

TM Gerald Goh

Photography by;

Rano Iskandar, CC, CL