Sweet moments with Ms. B

Toastmasters club has truly inspired me to become a better speaker ,if not the best! Indeed it is quite an experience to be a member of this prestigious club- Pueblo Verde Toastmasters Club in MEZ 2, Lapu-Lapu City. And i am learning so much from my fellow TM. And with this note, allow me to post here my second speech: Basic Speech #2:

Oldies but the Goldies!

“History” can mean: ancient, outmoded, antique, out of date or time worn. It denotes anything old and torn and aged. Furthermore it may mean: vanished, finished, non-existent or gone. But mind you these are only words that describe the past which do more harm than good and sometimes belittle the items, or the places or actions and somehow tend to lose their value and existence. More often than not, anything old is forgotten. But it doesn’t mean that these oldies (as they are sometimes called) ought to be put to oblivion and never be remembered, because the descriptions are only modifiers, qualifiers or assessments and cannot affect the actual significance of a place, a structure, an event, or even an action; these forgotten pasts are precious gems to be cherished and cared for and believe me they have something good to do with the present!

Fellow toastmasters, Good Evening!

Reminiscing old but memorable bygone days is a jewel task for me. It always brings me joy and pleasure whenever I am in nostalgia. Often times during fiesta nights when I was a little girl I always sat beside my lola and mom together with other old relatives when they exchanged stories and told folklores. It perks me up and gets me excited whenever I tinker with old gift boxes filled with memorabilia of my youth. Ah, yes, I can still remember getting excited while opening the lower drawer of my vanity dresser filled with tiny pieces like old coins, torn and discolored pictures, old badges, buttons and pins or unpaired pieces of jewelries and stare at them long enough while my mind was daydreaming. And true enough, the value of the coins and jewelries rose ten times more four decades after when I took them to a jeweler and… you know what happened next.

I also find it sweet and romantic when I listen to classic songs, dance old music (like the Waltz), read history books; narrate poems in Literature, and sometimes when trying to decipher old World maps; it’s like discovering routes of famous navigators as if I’m travelling through time with them. Following the thread of history, any history for that matter, makes my heart beat faster than usual. Indeed, It fascinates my mind knowing how people in the past lived and fought to survive; what were their manner of being while volcanoes erupted; where were they when the land mass moved? And the list goes on. Because of all these inkling of the past, it led me to take up M. A. History in graduate studies. A positive move attained for merely liking oldies huh?

The Classics, as they are fondly called ranges from books, arts, designs, structures, places, poetry, including actions like dancing, oration and declamation. In short, anything and everything under the sun which were involved with my life in one way or another and were kept inside my heart are considered dear to me and I would not let them slip away although the times has evolved into what they call “high-tech” era. But don’t undermine me because I evolved too. In fact, I’m into computers and gadgets and streaming with the information highway like maintaining two blog sites @ the moment while facebooking every so often. But even so, these didn’t stop me from admiring old stuff. And guess what? The past has proved to be that important because a History channel on cable tv has been aired to impart more knowledge of the enticing erstwhile era. See how interesting these oldies are?

And on top of all these, the local government has taken more initiatives of caring the past by renovating historical structures, preserving significant places of special interests, reviving fascinating activities like “Balak” while conveying wisdom to the youth which can no longer feel or smell the freshness of the cornfields while listening to the Kundiman.

Therefore, these oldies are not just remains of past lives and experiences, but they are precious Gold of interests and can’t be condoned or disregarded but should be treasured for good. So fellow toastmasters, say it loud and proud to your old folks: You are Gold to behold!

CONGRATS ladies! I am soooo proud of you both! These two ladies here are the champions of Area 82 Speech Contest held recently (March 03, 2012). And they will be competing in Ormoc City this coming March 18, 2012. Good luck girls- although i can't be with you on that day but my hopes and prayers are for your success! 'luv you both! You made me so proud too!

Hi ! Hello! remember me? I sure hope so because i'm back!

Oh yeah! And i am so excited because so many things happened in my life while i was gone... er out. One of them is entering a new horizon of my life: I joined a TOASTMASTER club! Ah yes, it is a fun thing really. I also visit other TM club together with my two beautiful daughters, plus you get to learn more English words, English instructions in speaking, listen English speakers; talk impromptu English speeches and more. Trust me- everything is English! Except of course the speakers! And because i am now a member, i get to talk in English too! So here is my fist piece as Basic Speech # 1 entitled:

The Chameleon... in me!

Chameleons are small creatures of the lizard family which moves slow and dwell on trees and have been known to have the ability to change skin color according to their mood.

Good evening fellow toastmasters!

Like a chameleon I’ve been living quite a moody life too! I switch roles every so often, depending on the mood I’m in; maybe because, I wanted to blend in, to connect, to mingle or simply to belong. These moods were highlighted even more when I got married before I finished college.

I became a doctor’s wife @ 20! And since then my role as a young adult drastically shifted into a married woman. Perhaps I felt I was ready for marriage, but married to a medical doctor wasn’t as easy as I thought. With off-hours schedules of patient calls; private clinic services and civic meetings, I felt all his activities didn’t do justice to me as a young wife.

Then my first daughter came followed by another five years after the first one. I became a mom! And still the doctor’s wife @ certain times of the day (if you know what I mean). I remember one sunny Sunday morning when two of my daughters were still little. We were all excited and ready for the beach when suddenly the phone rang. My husband took the call and after a while he told us to cancel our beach trip because of that distress call from a patient who needs more of his time. We all sat down with a frown.

But like a chameleon I was quick to the rescue and comforted my two little girls and enticed them to a promise that it would be better next time. Sure enough I had my moments also. But, I felt I should be equipped as a mother and a wife to handle and face any unprecedented circumstances that may arise in the future. I tried to improve myself by reading books and magazines and what-have- you, to know exactly how is it to be a wife of a doctor and a true-blue mom.

Years passed, my third daughter came. My role as the mom and the wife went on smoothly but when she reached the fourth grade, I got bored. I thought why not go back to school and finish where I left off. Imagine, after 22 years, I was a student again! Get this: @ 6 in the morning I was the mom, cooking breakfast for five and two hours later I was a full time student! Ah, It was an exciting chapter of my life!

Like a chameleon I blended in; sat on the armchair while i listened to most of the lectures and took exams. I got connected while hanging out with 18 yr olds; exchanged stories of men and the ever powerful word: L-O-V-E. Some fantastic moments I had! And I mingled with the teachers who used to be my batch mates during my early college years. It really felt great to be in school again since learning has always been my passion. A college student @ 42 didn’t feel so bad after all. And besides, I believe there are no rules when to stop learning.

Soon enough I earned my degree in Architecture a year or two after that; got my license, and pursued more studies in Graduate School which earned me another degree (M.A. History).

Ah yes! I have become a historian; a lady architect; a researcher; a designer; a career woman.

And right now, as I am standing here in front of you, I am a friend; your friend. A fellow toastmaster! And in a few minutes I’ll be a mom beside these two lovely ladies then later tonight I’ll be the doctor’s wife again when I get home. Like a chameleon, I am all these, depending on my mood.

Good evening!