“Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce to you the champion for the Area W3
International Speech Contest goes to LEE CHEN CHOON from Friendship Toastmasters Club.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce to you the champion for the Area W3 Table
Topic Speech Contest goes to GRACE LOH from KPMG Toastmasters Club.”

International Speech Contest Chair Hitomi Ng and Table Topic Contest Chair Heng Jing Yi
announced the results successively after the Chief Judge Vincent Soon handed over the results to
the two lovely ladies.

The birth of the Area W3 champions has just emerged on last Saturday 23 March. Lee Chen
Choon was the champion of the International Speech Contest while Grace Loh was the
champion of Table Topic Contest. Congratulations, bravo and kudos to both of them!

With thunderous applause and cheerful flapping from the audience, the winners marched
jubilantly to the stage one after another to receive the award from the hands of the friendly Area W3 Governor Chor Chee Hoe.

The contestants of International Speech Contest were Laila from IBM Toastmasters, Lee
Shoon Hoe from Exact ADC, Grace Loh from KPMG and lastly Lee Chen Choon from Friendship
toastmasters club.

Laila from IBM shared with the audience about the pros and cons of using Facebook. She urged
the audience to use the Facebook wisely as the way of using Facebook reflects our maturity as
well as our intelligence. She warned us that the improper usage of Facebook would draw not
only yourself but your family and friends become vulnerable to the baddie.

The second contestant Lee Shoon Hoe spoke on the topic ‘Walk with Ah Thor’. Ah Thor
was a limp old man with haunch back. However he gained the respects and like from the
neighborhoods despite his physical challenge by his positive attitude towards life. The grass is
always greener at the other side. She urged the audience do not compare and envy what other
have, but treasure what you already have and be good to people who love you and around you.

The third speaker was Grace Loh from KPMG toastmasters. She told the audience that she was
being criticized as the troublesome by her family members just because of her force to adjust
her family members’ lifestyle. Good food is not fast, Fast food is not good. In the process of
persuading her family members to regularly, consistently and persistently practice a good and
balance lifestyle which was always troublesome, cumbersome and tiresome; She learnt to enjoy
and focus on the present instead, not to worry too much about the future. Everyone knows the
best way to live a balance and healthier life; they know which one suits them the best.

And lastly the Champion Lee Chen Choon, he shared with the audience about finding the meaning
in his life. He started to contemplate the meaning of life seriously when Uncle Lim who
supported him, changed him into a better person passed away. All this while he neglected his
loved one due to busy works. Losing Uncle Lim taught him about the time he missed with his
family and friends. Life is short. He urged the audience to join him in the race of getting to the
finishing line with no regrets. What a moving, uplifting and sensational message he sent!

In the Table Topic Contest, the table topic selected by the Chief Judge was ‘Apart from
swimming, what is your favorite thing to do in the swimming pool.’ This indeed the funniest
table topic I have ever heard. The audience laughed out laugh when the table topic was recited
by the contest chair. Champion Grace Loh gracefully spoke to the audience that she exercised
Aquarobics in the swimming pool besides swimming. Aquarobics exercise is as good and
effective as swimming. She invited the audience to join her for her next aquarobics session.
This was indeed an interesting and new idea of activity to do in the swimming pool besides
swimming. She also mentioned about family bonding time and asked the audience to explore
themselves in order to know more.

1st runner up Lee Chen Choon told the audience that life is like a swimming pool. Learning of
swimming is the same as learning public speaking and leadership in toastmasters. He described
that the journey of learning swimming were like the mentor and mentee relationship in
toastmasters. You master the swimming skills and in return, you help others in becoming a good
and skillful swimmer.

Here are the results of the International Speech Contest
Champion: Lee Chen Choon
1st runner up: Grace Loh

Here are the results of the Table Topic Contest.
Champion: Grace Loh
1st runner up: Lee Chen Choon

We are elated and proud to see the birth of the winners. Toastmasters has magnificently
transformed and revolutionized its members to become better communicators and leaders. We
wish the two of them all the best in the upcoming Division W International Speech and Table
Topic Contests on 27 April 2013 in Segi University College, Kota Damansara.



Contributed by,
Daphne Au
Area W3 Webmaster