Monday, October 18, 2021
Halloween's Happy Prize-winning, Memorable Speech From Angela and Scary Stories from Others at Nee Soon South
Angela Lansbury in Halloween hat with black bats. Photo selfie by Angela Lansbury.
Halloween was the amusing subject of the questions in the table topics (impromptu speech) session at Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club online on Zoom. The President, Chan Ah Cheng had prepared interesting and challenging topics including: Share a scary incident; What would you offer as a healthy treat instead of sweets? What would you wear to a Halloween party. All three speakers were voted best speaker, the best evaluator was Isabella Tham and I won the vote for best table topics.
My questions was, What would you do with a pumpkin?
Pumpkins
I answered: '(1) I would cut off the top using a pumpkin cutting kit bought from the nearest supermarket. Scoop out the inside to make food and drinks.
(2) Cut holes for the eyes, nose and mouth and set up a light inside - a candle. (I should have suggested a safer electric torch.)
(3) Then I would make a pumpkin fruit drink, pumpkin hot soup, and pumpkin pie. I would invite all of you to a pumpkin party!
(4) If we can't meet because of Covid, we could all party online, wearing orange. And I would have a vote for the best costume, to add interest and attract people along to our Halloween theme meeting -
(5) And the following meeting.'
Jolly TMD
Toastmaster of the Day, Lim Tong Lee, beamed with his usual bonhommie. He managed to make the usually serious President laugh. I wish I could remember his quip.
Language - Alliteration
Although I was not the language evaluator I did record two of his alliterations: 'humorous and heart-warming', and 'enriching and empowering'.
During the evening I noted only one grammatical oddity, the use of starting a sentence, Anybody wants? Whilst other languages can frame a question by taking a statement and adding a question mark at the end,The usual way to phrase a question in English is like this: Does anybody want ...?
The meeting had support from stalwarts such as Hakim. He spoke about how to keep children happy: by helping them to Zoom to parents who are away working, or isolating because of Covid.
Scary Army Night Walks
He also revealed that in the army the Night Walks for recruits are occasionally used as an opportunity to test their resolve or build boldness and team spirit by pranking them with a challenge. For example, a scary ghost sound or sight.
The reverse can also happen. A suspected prank can turn out to be a real emergency.
The table topics questions and speeches from Hakim and others helped me to recall the winning story from another meeting. A recruit sent on a relay run through a cemetery heard suspicious moaning. Should he run on? Was it a ghost? Or a prank - an ambush. He nerved himself not to run on, but to be fearless and practical, to investigate the source of the sound. The groaning noise turned out to be the genuine moans and calls for help from another cadet. The injured person was not from his group, but from an earlier team relay. The unlucky cadet had fallen in the dark. (Into a newly-dug open grave.) The injured man was grateful to be rescued! By our courageous cadet.
Facing Fear - Bank Robbers On An Island
I now, in retrospect, remember another favourite story I read in Singapore's newspaper, The Straits Times. Bank robbers in Malaysia carried off the money and stole a boat. They arrived with their loot on what they thought was a deserted island.
They did not know the island was used as an army cadet training ground.
Cadets, sent out on games, had been told to camouflage themselves on the beach.
The three (armed, desperate and dangerous?) bank robbers landed their boat. The robbers were shocked to suddenly be surrounded by a group of lads with machine guns!
The three army cadets, still believing this was just an exercise, acted tough. Having secured the miscreants, they proudly marched the three 'captive bank robbers' back to their commander.
He was astonished. Mission accomplished. By the brace cadets. They had passeded the test, succeeded beyond the widest dreams of themselves - and their commander.
Moral: Do not land on unmarked apparently deserted islands. Especially not around Singapore. you never know when conscripted cadets are playing capture the enemy.
One day I shall win a table topic or contest with this story.
The Next Nee Soon South Speakers' Meeting
Come along to the Nee Soon South club's next meeting, as usual the third Monday in the month, on November 22nd - it will be their contest evening with prepared and impromptu speeches in three exciting contests.
Labels: army recruit, bank robbers, cadet training, cemetery, deserted island, Impromptu speeches, Malaysia, Nee Soon South speakers, prank, table topics, what you can do with a pumpkin
