This is the first Combined Chapter Meeting of The Open Alumni Toastmasters Club and Telok Blangah Toastmasters Club for the year 2021, held on 21 January 2021. The Table Topics and Prepared Speeches were held in 2 separate breakout rooms. With Chinese New Year looming around the corner, this Chapter Meeting took on the theme of Chinese New Year.
The President’s Opening Address was given by Triggi Chan, CC, the President of The Open Alumni Toastmasters Club while the President’s Closing Address was given by Bizon Marfatia, CC, MS2, the President of Telok Blangah Toastmasters Club.
Table of Contents
President’s Opening Address
Triggi, President of The Open Alumni Toastmasters Club, opened the meeting with her opening address sharing with us how differently she used to celebrate Chinese New Year back in Hong Kong as compared to Singapore.
She continued to highlight a few more difference around the world in the west. In San Francisco, burning of firecrackers is allowed during Chinese New Year whereas in Hong Kong and Singapore have been disallowed. In Australia, they race dragon boats during Chinese New Year whereas most part of Asia do so in the month of June.
Table Topics
The chapter meeting proceeded on with our Table Topics. Sharling Ang, PI1, our Table Topics Master gave us a list of topics related to both Chinese New Year and COVID-19 social distancing related issues. We had 4 volunteers for the following topics.
- How are you celebrating CNY given social distancing? (Speaker – Jane Pang, CC, CL, VC2)
- What is one thing that you would throw for spring cleaning? Why? (Speaker – Xerxes Ghista)
- What does the colour red speak/mean to you? (Speaker – Yoong Ee Chuan)
- What is the one thing you did in 2020 that you will not repeat in 2021? Why? (Speaker – Than Than)
How are you celebrating CNY given social distancing?
Speaker: Jane Pang, CC, CL, VC2
Jane intended to contact her friends and relatives in advance scheduling their visits to prevent clashes during their visiting hours and overcrowding in her home. She also intends to visit her friends unlike during last year’s Chinese New Year’s “no celebration”.
What is one thing that you would throw for spring cleaning? Why?
Speaker: Xerxes Ghista
Xerxes unveiled his secret passion for collecting T-shirts. Over the many years of his life since school days, he has amassed a great collection of T-shirts that has become clutter his room and wardrobe. He would like to begin with throwing away his unwanted T-shirts for this Chinese New Year’s spring cleaning.
What does the colour red speak/mean to you?
Speaker: Yoong Ee Chuan
Concerning what the red colour symbolises, Ee Chuan gave a few different perspectives from a student’s test scores to his job as an auditor. He ends off with highlighting the colour red as an auspicious symbolism for Chinese during Chinese New Year.
What is the one thing done in 2020 that you will not repeat in 2021? Why?
Speaker: Than Than
Than Than shared that she had to confine herself during the pandemic during Chinese New Year last year. She does not wish to repeat this unfortunate occurrence this year and would like to meet up with her friends and relatives during this year’s upcoming Chinese New Year.
Game: Kahoot!
After the Table Topic session, Jane Pang, CC, CL, VC2, prepared a game of Kahoot for the toastmasters.
- What is the date for this CNY? Winner: Yoong Ee Chuan
- What do parents give children for CNY? Winner: Dawn Yee, ACB, CL, VC3
- What animal sign for the year 2021? Winner: Xerxes Ghista
- Why does Chinese love to hang red lanterns? Winner: Dawn Yee, ACB, CL, VC3
- Why does Chinese exchange oranges during CNY? Winner: Kelvin Ho, ACB, ALB
- What do Chinese use for writing? Winner: Dawn Yee, ACB, CL, VC3
- How do you say “thank you” in Chinese? Winner: Dawn Yee, ACB, CL, VC3
- What should you do before Chinese New Year? Winner: Dawn Yee, ACB, CL, VC3
- How do you greet someone in Chinese New Year? Winner: Dawn Yee, ACB, CL, VC3
- What is the meaning of Gong Xi Fa Cai? Winner: Oops? Who is that? Did not notice!
Prepared Speeches
1st Speaker: Ann Luo Jinyu
Pathway Project: Leadership Development Level 1 Project 1, Ice Breaker
Title: Introduction of Myself
In this first project of Ice Breaker, Ann introduced herself to everyone as an accounting and financial manager with two grown-up children. She is finally released from her duty as a mother and found this to be the perfect time to join Toastmasters where she can begin improving on her leadership and communication skills. Working in the accounting line, she found that communication is very important and she also needs the leadership skills in leading her team of workers and to negotiate with bankers and tax officers. She would also appreciate that fellow toastmasters would communicate with her in English only and not in Mandarin. That would help her tremendously in her journey in Toastmasters.
2nd Speaker: Xerxes Ghista
Pathway Project: Presentation Mastery Level 1 Project 2 (1st Prepared Speech), Evaluation and Feedback
Title: The Tomorrow Habit
Xerxes shared with us his mysterious “Tomorrow Habit” which is none other than the habit of procrastination. He has developed this habit and refined it throughout his life at every stage of his school days, right up to university days. Xerxes went on to dissect and analyse the psyche of a procrastinator. He went on further to classify procrastinators into 4 types, of which, he belongs to the type who professed that “diamonds are formed under pressure”.
3rd Speaker: Yong Ee Chuan
Pathway Project: Motivational Strategies Level 1 Project 2 (2nd Prepared Speech), Evaluation and Feedback
Title: Free Your Mind
Ee Loong began his speech by giving us quite a long and detailed discourse on the anatomy of the human brain. He went on to explore how the mind works with the neurons working with the eyes as receptors to the outside world, and how importantly our diet keeps our mind healthy. He finally went on to how we learn new skills and how our minds go on autopilot when encountering things that are familiar.
4th Speaker: Bizon Marfatia, CC, MS2
Pathway Project: Motivational Strategies Level 3 Project 2 (1st Prepared Speech), Negotiate the Best Outcome
Title: Determination
Bizon challenges us to write down our goals and be determined to achieve them. Unless we are committed to achieving our goals, we would only choose to do what is convenient and would not be able to achieve our goals. He urged us to turned away from all our excuses. He differentiated between being interested and being committed.
Winners
With the end of our session on Prepared Speeches, we celebrate the winners of the Table Topics, Games (Kahoot!) and Prepared Speeches.
Kahoot:
Overall Winner (1st): Kelvin Ho
2nd: Dawn Yee
3rd: Daniel Sun
Table Topic Winners:
Than Than & Xerxes Ghista (Room 1), Kelvin Ho, ACB, ALB (Room 2)
Prepared Speech Winners:
Yoong Ee Chuan (Room 1), Elaine Tan, ACB, DL2 (Room 2)
President’s Closing Address
Bizon Marfatia, CC, MS2, President of Telok Blangah Toastmasters Club, urged us to take risk and create chances for ourselves. Nothing is ever achieved if we play it safe and remain afraid to take risk. He went on to encourage everyone to speak at Table Topics and Prepared Speech, and be willing to take the risk and improve our skills in our toastmasters journey.
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