Fellow Toastmasters, Family & Friends,
It has been an honour and pleasure to represent Kota Kinabalu
Toastmasters Club to the Toastmasters International District 87 Medan 2013
Semi Annual Convention. Coming back from Medan 2013 Convention, having been
to a new place, seen new faces, and met new people, I feel
refreshed.
Well done to Organizing Chairman M. Adly Ilyas & Team for a memorable
Convention. :)
"What happens in Medan, stays in Medan...", is so not
applicable, for Medan 2013 was such a great experience, I feel obliged to share
it with you.
The convention started off with a fun Welcome Night. We
were all dressed in white and had the Ulos draped on our shoulder.
In the Keynote Session the next day, I was inspired by Dana LaMon, DTM,
Toastmasters International Speech Champion 1992. You know,
I’ve always had a soft spot for the old, blind, and the helpless. When I ran
into Mr Dana on Day 1, he was walking at the lobby, lead by his friend, Madam
Arlene. When I saw that, my heart crumpled. Not wanting to cry (cause it’s
so not macho to cry) I just looked away. But after listening to his
keynote speech on Day 2, he turned my perception around. This blind man has
lived life, up to 200% and beyond. Instead of pity, I now admire
him. Through his speech, he has inspired me, and from the feedback of the
others who attended his session, they were inspired, too.
Fellow Toastmasters, friends,
This man, read his notes on the podium in braille, interpret the watch
on his wrist in braille, and could not even see his audience as we stood up to
give him a standing ovation at the end of his session. Let’s live life to our
full potential, break those walls and the ceiling that is stopping us, and go
for our dreams. The sky, has no limits. He will probably never
read this, but thank you Mr Dana for being an inspiration :)
During Gala Dinner, District 87 Governor 2012-2013
Richard A. Gontusan presented Kota Kinabalu Toastmasters Club the President’s
Distinguished Award.Well done KKTMC President 2012-2013 Jamie Chieng, Team, & KKTMC
Members for keeping the flag flying high. To the Past Presidents &
Past Members of KKTMC, you have set the par so high, we can only
follow your footsteps and Keep the Flame Forever Burn.
Along with that, we also received the following awards:
Area Governor of the Year 2012-2013: Area K1 Governor
Joanna Liew
Division Governor of the Year 2012-2013: Division K Governor
Shawn Cassidy Narcis
Toastmaster of the Year 2012-2013: Nora Ridzwan, ACB, ALB
Congratulations to all Awardees, you have set another path to be made
example :)
The D87 Humorous Speech & Evaluation Contest was as
adrenaline-rushing as expected, from the beginning till the announcement of the
results! Again, Division K is proud to be the home of our winners:
D87 Humorous Speech Champion: Stuart Lee
D87 Evaluation 2nd Runner Up: Aaron Subash George
What made this convention more precious to me, are the things that money
can’t buy..... Things that Ringgit Malaysia, Indonesian Rupiah, even Bruneian
Dollar can’t pay for…
The Pre Convention Dinner with Dunstan Chan, DTM
& the Toastmasters from Kuching & Sandakan…
The Durian Session Round 1 lead by Liana Kwan, DTM...
The Breakfast Dates with the Toastmasters from
Kuching, Jakarta & Tawau...
The Evening Yumcha Sessions with the Toastmasters from
Jakarta, Brunei, Medan & USA.....
The Durian Session Round 2 with almost all of the
convention delegates (minus the contestants who had to sleep early for the
contest the next day :p )...
The Laugh-Out-Loud Moments as we listen to the workshop speaker who made fun of our blood types and personalities…
The Laugh-Out-Loud Moments as we listen to the workshop speaker who made fun of our blood types and personalities…
The Post Convention Dinner with the Bruneians, as we wrap up the
memories of the convention with a toast by everyone, round the table...
Fellow Toastmasters, Family & Friends,
The most beautiful memory, that I will always remember,
is when Stuart
Lee was announced Champion. As his name was announced, the whole hall
applauded, and the Division K Family jumped & hugged each other. Shawn came to Ophelia & I who
were standing in front of the stage, and cried happy tears. When I see him cry,
it hit me that, this is a real family; genuine people who are genuinely true to
one another; this is a big brother proud of his younger brother. It took me a
few seconds to take it in, before my mind came back to the hall and join the
beautiful people in the exhilarating environment, celebrating the victory :)
Concluding the convention, as Ophelia & I was waiting for the lift
on our way up to our apartment, we decided that this convention is one of the
best we have ever attended... And currently, we are both suffering from major
withdrawal symptoms!! Hahaha....
Below are a few photos from Medan2013; credits to Md Ariff Azahari, DTM, Richard A. Gontusan, DTM, Richard Tsen, DTM & Madame Ophelia Domingo :)
The next District 87 Annual Convention will be in Surabaya. If
you missed Medan2013, be sure to catch Surabaya2014!
Venue: Surabaya, Indonesia
Date: 9-11 May 2014
Fees: RM450
Till then, see you when I see you :)
Best regards,
...from the heart
Fia binti Iskandar
President 2013-2014
Kota Kinabalu Toastmasters Club
Tel: +60167763622
Find us on:
...from the heart
Fia binti Iskandar
President 2013-2014
Kota Kinabalu Toastmasters Club
Tel: +60167763622
Find us on:
No comments :
Post a Comment