C5 delivered on 090519 script

Finally I can be here without talking about being Monk. I am going to share a real supernatural experience today. So if you want to take an early tea break. Please do.

September 2001, I was in a club which specialized in mountain-climbing and summer-camp organizing. My active and sometime hyper character made me president for event-organizing. At that time the whole club was trying to organize an event to welcome freshmen of the year. I had an inspiration. I took out a map and marked all the locations where people had ghost-spotting experience in these two universities, TsingHua and ChiaoTung. As I speculated, it could form a loop. The activity went like this. We put candles and a story on every stop that we would make. As we arrived, we lit up the candle, read the story, and let the audience feel the atmosphere for one to two minutes, blew out the candle, then left. We decided to hold this activity for two days in a row, so that more people may join.

The first day was quite a success. More than 30 people joined. We even had to split the group into two teams for better effect. Things were different on the second day. The sky was cloudy. The moon could only be seen from time to time. As we arrived the rally point for departure, we found there were only 8 freshmen students waiting for us. 8, that’s a small team. We decided to lead them with only 3 club members, Jack, John, and Roy. I took the lead, John by their side, and Jack took care of the back to ensure no one got lost.

Before I continue; another piece of information. According to the 8-character Chinese fortune-telling technique, every person has different weight of spirit. The scale goes from 2兩1 to 7兩1. The heavier the spirit is; the richer the person might be. The lighter the spirit is, the more likely the bearer will encounter supernatural experience. The split-line is 3兩8. This time, John was the highest as 6兩4, mine was in the middle as 4兩4, Jack was the lowest as 2兩6 .

We set forth from ChiaoTung University to Tsinghua Univeristy. Our main route was in the mountain hill in the back of Tsinghua university’s campus. There was a pond which had taken three lives by drowning them in one single time. As planned, we went from one location to the next, lit up the candles then blew them out. Tension kept rising with those haunting stories we told. As we were leaving for the last stop, Jack ran to me in a rush and pulled me aside. I was a little bit angry by his reckless move and nervous facial expression in front of our participants. I signed John to lead the team ahead, stopped, and tried to figure out what he wanted to let me know. As the team moved further, he whispered with trembling crying voice:”Roy, something was following us”. I urged him to control his emotion and caught up with the team. I dragged him to the final location with me and found John had already finished reading the story. He walked to us to ensure everything was fine. Jack begged me stop the activity, as the best part we have arranged was about to come: a dark path in the forest where no light would get in. I promised him that things will be fine. I rearranged the team formation. John took the lead, and Jack and I stayed behind. As I blew the candle out. I knew that’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made in my life.

Darkness fell around us, John led the team ahead. In no time I sensed something staring at me from behind. I tried to turn my head and found out, but I just couldn’t. The team was getting further, and I could only try to catch up. Suddenly, I felt something cold crawling up from my left leg, all the way up through my thigh, my back, to my shoulder. As it reached my shoulder, it became heavier and heavier, made each step of mine more and more difficult. I tried to turn my head, but again I couldn’t. I could only see a dark shadow lingering by my left shoulder with the corner of my eye. Until we approached the end of the path, suddenly, the weight was lifted. I turned my head, only seeing Jack’s blank look. He looked at me and said: “It’s gone, right?”

We finished the activity as soon as we can and rushed to the temple in front of ChiaoTung university. We could only exchange our experience after some cans of beer. However, we were even more scared after we shared our experience. For I felt it all the way up from my left side, and Jack was the opposite, the right. We concluded we might have run into something pretty tired and decided to crawl all the way up and rest between us for a while.

2009 Prepared speech contest: Question to ask yourself

感想那類的東西請到這邊
這篇是準備比賽時被提點的問題

這兩個問題是Jim Key問我的
1. If you had to sum up the message of your speech in one or two brief sentences, what would it be?
2. What will the audience be compelled to think, feel, or do differently after they've heard your speech?

這三個問題則是Jock Elliot在比賽之後問我的

1. Were you happy with your speech and the way you delivered it?

2. Is this the highest level that you have achieved?

3. Was it a fair result in your opinion and the opinion of your friends?

這五個問題對我有很大的幫助
上面的兩個問題讓我重新思考了我演講的目的
也點出演講中最重要的重點：你想傳達什麼？
下面的三個問題則讓我調整了我的心態

2009 Prepared speech contest: script

The 11th Edition
小修正不成一版，大修正(改超過一百字以上)就另存新檔，大修正共十次。

Hoping for Uncertainty
- Haishuo Lee-

“Certainty is beautiful, (pause) but uncertainty is more beautiful still.” (pause) The quote was by 1996 Nobel Prize winner, the Polish poet, Wislawa Szymborska. I did not understand the meaning of it at that time, no, not until I fell into desperation from predicted certainty, and found hope again in future’s uncertainty.

Mr Contest Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, 2 years ago, I met an old, wise-looking man in my friends’ house. He said he was a Master of the ancient art of Chinese fortune telling, Chiwei. To my surprise, the Master began to state many secret facts about me. As I was still amazed, he offered to tell me more. So, I told him the exact date and time I was born, and he closed his eyes and started to calculate. Moments later, he frowned and muttered: “No good, no good.” I stared at him in nervous anticipation, receiving nothing but silence. Suddenly he opened his eyes and proclaimed with authority: “For the next thirteen years, your life will be miserable, you will fail at everything, and great misfortune will be yours.”

Desperately destroyed by his prediction, I began to shout, “What can I do?”, “What can I do?” Again he closed his eyes. Again the answer came. “To change your fateful fortune you must become a monk, in a temple, until you are forty. Then, great fortune will be yours.”

I could remember nothing later said on that day. The only thing that I could remember was: “be a monk”, “in the temple”, “until 40”. 27 to 40! They’re the golden years of my life. I should be making money, chasing girls, and starting a great family. But now, someone’s telling me to be a monk! Me, monk? NO!

I was preparing for my graduate school entrance exam back then, and his words certainly crushed my confidence. I went home about midnight with all those “being a monk” sentences echoing in my head. I could not fall asleep, let alone study. I dragged my tired body and mind to the living room, sitting on the sofa, turning on the TV, hoping to find some comfort. To my great surprise, I found the solution to my miserable fortune on television. Where did I find it? “HBO, your home movie theater.”

A movie called “Paycheck” was playing on HBO. It’s a story about a scientist inventing a machine that could foresee the future. There were some lines in the movie that truly blew my mind and shone a whole new light. They went: “Knowing future would take away all other possibilities. You may think it’s good in the beginning for it provides such a sense of security, but you are wrong. Because if there are no other possibilities, there is no hope, and hope, is what we humankind can truly rely on!”

Like the spring wind that gently replaces winter chill, those lines took away my desperation at the thought of finding myself trapped in the predicted certainty. I stood up from the sofa and looked out of the window. I saw lights from many buildings glimmering in the darkness of the night. There seemed to be so many uncertainties should I choose my own destiny, and face the possibility of failing at everything before forty. However, those lines reminded me: as there were possibilities, so was hope, and hope, would be what I can rely on!

Starting from the very next day, I studied in the library from 8 in the morning to 10 in the evening. 2 months later, I not only passed the graduate school entrance examination, I championed all test-takers. Starting from that moment, I lay the compass of my destiny not on others, but on my own hand. Step by step, my destiny has led me here today, heading toward higher dimension. Whatever the result is, it’s not failure nor desperation, but success and glory!

I am not saying that being a monk is bad. Some girls like bald men. (Pause) But it’s just not for me right now. I am not telling you that “HBO” can always give you the answer, because I may have become a monk if the movie I saw had been “7 years in Tibet”. When we set our goals and strive for them, somehow the light of hope shall lead us to good fortune. “Certainty is beautiful, but uncertainly is more beautiful still.” Why? Because in those uncertainties, we can still hold fast to hopes! Yes! Uncertainly is more beautiful! Join me in embracing uncertainty and meeting the challenges and opportunities of this unpredictable world. Contest chair!

090514 Lesson from Dwayne Smith: Bringing out the winner in you

First thing: Thanks for someone who invited him.

Think about the time that you win something: feel it.
How do you do? by learning. How do you learn? by doing.

When you want the attention: prepare gifts.
We all are natural born winners.

Children walk, stumble, and walk again.
Positive belief leads to positive results.
Winning is tough but it worth it.
Tiger Woods practices 14 hours a day.

Three things you have to give to win: time, effort, dedication

Two things to give up: comfort zone, idea that it's going to be easy

Never give up: trying, belief, yourself, what you are trying to do

Have small victories to have big ones.
Take small steps then big ones will come.

Taking part is already winning.

The value of failure:
Something doesn't go right: there is a lesson.
My reponsibility to see why it's not working.
To find the lesson within the failure.
Stop blaming on others.

Investigate what the problem is.
Look at inside, then you also find solutions and answers.
It's yourself that is holding everything back.

From how god let this happen
to how we let this happen
to how I let this happen

what could I have done better?
What did the winner do that was different and creative?
Do I really want this job?
Do I really want to win?

Look at all the opponenets, and find the opportunities to learn.
The one who adds that "extra" will win.
Loss=lesson
What did I do wrong, and what others did better?
Adversity=advantage
Always take action!
Free e-book: give evaluaitons to dgs@dwayne
(the power of concentration)

090317 Feedback for prepared speech

Jenny:
1. Take away the "plot" part. eliminate the "I don't want to deprive you the joy of..."
2. For the movie,take away the "Texas chainsaw massacre", replace with sth more relate to "Monk": ex. 7 years in Tibet, Bulletproof Monk.

Ben:
1. Pause before start to play the fortune telling part to attract audience's attention.
2. When playing the fortune telling part, say everything slower and clearer to ensure that everyone can hear you.

Omega:
1. Dress formally in the contest.
2. Practice more. Need to make it more fluent.

Anne and Hollie:
Deliver your speech in front of other audience other than TM members.

Helen:
Add more impact and slow down/enlarge your gestures.

090303Prepared speech script: Uncertainty is certainly more beautiful

Do you believe in fate? Are you a person that would always consult fortune teller or tarot card before making any major decision? I was, but I am not now. That’s the story that I wanted to share with you today, a story about how I regain full control of my life.

2 years ago, I met an old man in my friend’s place. He was about 60 and claimed that he could foresee others’ future using Chiwei, which is the ancient Chinese fortune telling technique. He invited me to his place and promised me that he would offer his service free. I happily accepted his invitation, after all, who is not interested in knowing his own future? In two days, I was in his place. He brewed some tea. I told him the exact time I was born, and he closed his eyes and started to calculate. Moments later, he frowned and started to whisper: “No good, no good.” I was so nervous that I could only stared at him, waiting for any words that he would utter, but the only thing I could get was dead silence. Finally, he spoke again: “your destiny would be miserable for the next thirteen years, you could never succeed in all the things you tried, and great misfortunes would be yours.”

I was totally frightened by the words he said, and kept asking him “What should I do? Is there any possibilities for me to evade those misfortunes?” He closed his eyes for another while, and slowly gave me another unacceptable answer: “Yes, the only solution that you could try is to be a monk until you are 40, then you can return to the outside world again. By that time, great chances would be yours.”

I could remember nothing later said on that day. The only thing that came to my mind was that I had to be a monk until I was 40. 27 to 40, my god! That was the golden age of my life. I should be earning money, going around the world, finding my soul mate and starting up a great family. But now, someone was telling me to be a monk? Me, monk? NO!

I was preparing my graduate school entrance exam back then, and his words certainly crushed my confidence. I went home about midnight with all those “being a monk” sentences haunting in my head. I could not fall asleep, let alone study. I dragged my tired body and mind to the living room, turn on the TV and hoped to find some comforts or pressure outlets. To my great surprise, I did find the solution that I wanted to my miserable fortune. Where did I find it? “HBO”

It was playing a movie called “Paycheck”. It’s a story about a scientist inventing a machine that could foresee future, and later decided to destroy it. Why? I am not going to reveal the plot to deprive your pleasure in watching that movie. But I would love to share a line in the movie that truly blew my mind. “Knowing future would take away all the other possibilities. You may think it’s good for it provides security, but you are wrong. Because if there is no other possibilities, there is no hope, and hope, is what we humankind can truly rely on!”

Yes! Hope is what we can truly rely on! The Little hobbies in Lord of the Rings fight against the great evil of Lord Sauron for they have hope and decided to give it a try. Americans believe changes are possible and made their 44th presidential election a milestone in the history. We, believe in hope. So even now it seems like thousands of Pandora’s boxes are opened and still opening, we look up and never give up, and hope the next season would be another economic spring.

What happened next? I threw away those monk curses and started to study as hard as I can every single day. Two months later, I passed the graduate school entrance exam, first place. Now, I am a national university researcher, going to present another accepted paper in Mexico this April.

So what do I really want to tell you? I am not saying that being a monk is bad. I have lots of monk friends. It’s just not for me. I am not telling you that “HBO” can always give you the answer, because I may really be a monk if the movie was Texas chainsaw massacre. What I really want to tell you is: as the Nobel prize winner poet Wislawa Szymborska put it: “Certainty is beautiful, but uncertainly is more beautiful still.” Yes! Uncertainly is certainly more beautiful still. Why? Because in those uncertainties, we can still hold fast to hopes!

Thank you! Toastmaster.

090303 Prepared and table-topic speech contest

Few things to say. :)

1. If I were the judge, I would also definitely give the first prize to Helen. Actually, I think I would get the third or fourth. She is such a great speaker, and my heart is full of sorrow to know that she might leave soon. If there is something I can change, this is it. Helen, I want to to stay with us. (Helen, if you are watching this, please note that there are also many places in Taiwan where trees can be grown.)
2. There are too many feelings in my heart, but above happiness and excitement, I am pretty much dominated by my sense of responsibility. Hsinchu club, I would definitely fight for you. I will.
3. Practice more in these days. Roy. You can do better, and you should practice more to honor yourself and your contestants.

Fight! Fight to the last moment.
For those who you love and care, and for those encouragements you get.
For those smiley faces you remember, for those warm hands you hold.
For those cheers you get, for those precious suggestions that help you improve.
For HCTM, man, you gotta fight, til' the last moment.
Fight! Fight I will!