Be prepared to be dazzled! Anchorvale's 53rd Chapter Meeting had all the makings of a classic!
It was yet
another Chapter meeting for Anchorvale Toastmasters, however it was anything
but ordinary to me. It was an oratorical feast, a sensory overload. I was
undoubtedly impressed and frankly quite touched by the brilliant speeches as
well as the strength and spirit demonstrated by the Anchorvale family. Everyone
chipped in when we were setting up, the speakers were all top-notch and the
meeting was so indelibly well-executed.
Where should I even begin... then with…
Salma, our Toastmaster of
the Day (TMD)! She was like a hurricane. She came, she delivered and she blew
us away with such a stirring and powerful performance, leaving in her wake - the
audience, spell-bounded and yearning for more.
I’m not exaggerating: Each time she took to the lectern, she shone
brightly, infecting us with her brimming energy, zest and language prowess.
With a strong sense of purpose, she presided over the meeting smoothly and when
the dust settled, all we could remember was how brilliant and captivating she
was as the TMD. If only I had managed to record it down…
Alas, what’s a
Chapter meeting without the speeches? And like a mighty clash of the titans,
this segment pitted one beautifully crafted speech against another, as speakers
each offered their best, ranging from gems of wisdom on IPPT and losing weight,
to cautionary tales of voyages at sea and even to pre-loved furniture and the
gastronomic importance of chocolate. Where
else can one find such diverse topics being presented within one room? Throughout
the speeches, I laughed heartily, smiled at the shared daily experiences and
ached for the stories which tugged at my heartstrings. The stories were all
fantastic and so were the speakers, as they turned a hot, simmering afternoon into a cool, breezy respite.
As the saying
goes ‘third time’s a charm’, and this definitely rings true, thanks to our –
Evaluators. And by that I meant all our different evaluators, from Speech
Evaluators, to our General Evaluator ACS
ALB Daniel Tran and even Language Evaluator, DTM Crispin Rodriguez. For the speech evaluations, DTM Richard with his years of veteran Toastmaster
experience delivered such a precise and empowering evaluation,
and it became clear we still had much to learn from our Club mentor. Crispin,
our visiting Toastmaster from NTU Toastmaster Club, gave us a clinical
diagnosis of our grammatical errors wowed us as we delved into the very
foundations of the English language. And thankfully for Daniel, we had someone
to assess the overall effectiveness of our meeting, with his insightful and
important comments. We will definitely learn from our mistakes and improve from
there.
What about Rachel, our intelligent Table Topics
Master who provided us with wise proverbs about animals. We certainly learnt
much from her, and it prompted a further discussion outside the meeting.
The list goes on
and on, and there were still many praises to sing for my dear club.
Nevertheless, at the end of the day, I’m just proud and delighted to be part of
Anchorvale Toastmasters. As Roger CC CL
mentioned in his closing address, it is easy for a club to ride the waves of
success but it should not rest on its laurels. As Anchorvale continues on its
voyage, there will be greater adventures and stormy weathers ahead, and we should
be poised and ready to surmount them. With the camaraderie and friendship, it
is always a pleasure to
attend Chapter meetings and I believe, this is only a bond which can get
stronger and stronger.
Don’t just take
my word for it. Do come on down for our next chapter meeting on the 14th
of June to experience the joy yourself.
Three Cheers to
Anchorvale Toastmasters! Hurray, Hurray, Hurray!
We would like to thank all Appointment Holders!
Congratulations to Award Winners!
Congratulations to Award Winners!
Best Prepared Speech: Debananda TM
Best Evaluator: DTM Richard Tay
Best Table Topics Speaker: Alice from Sengkang West Zone D RC
Best Evaluator: DTM Richard Tay
Best Table Topics Speaker: Alice from Sengkang West Zone D RC
Written
By: Norman Tan TM
