The month of April will be a busy month for fans of International Speech & Table Topics (ISTT) contests. Every Saturday is a division level ISTT Contest. We had the first Division ISTT Contest last Saturday. Organized by Division C, it was held at UMW Auditorium, Shah Alam.

Seven IS contestants and seven TT contestants took turns to stand in front of us, to inspire, entertain and enthrall us with their speeches.


The first contestant, Choong Jay Vee told us to "Let Go" of dreams that were not meant to be. Let go and pursue other dreams, bigger dreams.


"Ordinary People, Extraordinary Miracles" by Alia had a touching message delivered with full sincerity – "Ordinary people like you and me, are capable of extraordinary miracles".


In "Stepping Into No Man's Land", Xavier's impassioned plea was to never let go of your dreams, to step into no man's land where miracles can happen.


For "The Beauty of Life", Lincoln concluded his speech with this - "The most beautiful thing in life cannot be touched or heard. It can only be felt."


The winning speech was delivered by the last contestant. It was indeed a "Special Edition" speech. Delivered with flair and humorous elements, we were reminded that each of us is a "Special Edition" and that each of us is unique.




During the Table Topics Contest, the contestants were asked "Is just enough ever enough?"


For Tan Tyng Yng, her "just enough" is the love and happiness that she is striving for.


The most dramatic moment of the entire afternoon occurred when Chuan Teik Hoon paused towards the end of his Table Topics speech. Suddenly, the silence in the auditorium was shattered by the loud sound of thunder. Teik Hoon smoothly ended with – "Listen to the instruction from the top. Enough ? It is never enough". It was however, enough to make us laugh out loud.


Contributed by Angeline Lee