ACB 1st Advance Manual Project #4: Voltes V

Advance Manual : 226-K   Story Telling
Project # 4    : The Touching Story
Title          : Voltes V
Delivered at   : PICPA Riyadh Toastmasters Club
Evaluated by   : ACB/CL Roi Ontiveros
Target Norm    : Advance Communicator Bronze

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Opening

Have you ever had this mania over an item or items and could not explain why you have such fetish?  It could be a toy, food or perhaps a place of importance.  I do have my share too… and only one but many: sunny-side-up eggs, rubber shoes, and countless more.

Good evening fellow toastmasters! 

Allow me to share a story of a boy who had a fetish for television and cartoons.  His name was Dongkoy.

 

Body

It was one late afternoon, a typical Saturday in the province of Cotabato.

Dongkoy was still standing in the middle of the basketball field clueless of what has just happened.  With an orange dodge ball in his hands, he tried to aim for a target but there was nobody in there.  Few meters away, he watches as his playmates runs off towards his cousin’s house.  

 

“Taran-tan-taran” the familiar song filled the air! 

“Voltes-V”, his sisters shouted, and they also started running towards his cousin’s house.  The turtle-speed Dongkoy found himself running too, but he was not fast enough to gain entrance at the house.   He tried to push the dark wooden door but it was heavy and was locked from the inside.  Meekly, he knocks on the door but no one seems to hear.   His two sisters didn’t make it too, and they were squatting on the side trying to get a peek on what’s happening inside through the sliver of the door. 

“Let’s volts in”, the blurted a static voice from the TV… and follows a thunderous applause and cheer of his friends – inside the house.  Unable to contain his frustrations, he bangs the door and cried “Let me in”.   Like percussion drums, his two sisters joined in banging the door and murmuring in little voices “let us in”.   Irritated perhaps, his cousin pops up from the window and shouted “Hoy, don’t bang the door”.  

“Let us in”, Dongkoy begs.

“With your mud packed ginger feet? No way”!    His cousin then disappeared.

Dongkoy thought of washing his feet but the nearest faucet was too far he was afraid; the TV shows would be finish before he could go back.   

“If only we have slippers”, he sobbed and embraced his sisters. 

“Laser Sword”, the children shouted in chorus – from the inside.   

Dongkoy’s two sisters were getting restless. They really wanted to watch the show.  By hook or by crook, he must find a way to get inside.  Dongkoy saw a heap of copra few meters away.  He gathered two large coconuts and used it as ledge, stood on it and bingo his head reached the window!  He smiled when saw the gleaming white screen of the TV.  He could now watch the show. Yes!

He was about to enjoy the show, but his sisters started pulling his pants, shouting “me too”.  Dongkoy tried to mount her sister on one coconut, but alas, her sister was simply too small to reach the window.  The youngest was worse.  She doesn’t even know how to stand on a coconut.  No choice, he carried his sister on his shoulder to allow her to watch the TV show.  Few minutes later, she would bring her down… just to carry the other sister and let her watch the show.   While the two sisters take turn watching the show, their telegraphic narration was more than enough to let Dongkoy imagine how the show went by.

Dongkoy didn’t bother that his hands were turning purple.  He has only one thing in his mind:  allow her sisters to watch the show… so they can talk about it, later.   An hour seems an eternity, yet with a little patience they made it through.   Their friends have started going out.  

“Nyeyeye, they didn’t see”, teased the bully kids.

Dongkoy didn’t mind.  With both sisters in each hand, he just smiled and they walked merrily along the muddy path towards home. The sisters tried to fight back, but he argued “It’s alright; someday we will have one – not black and white but big colored TV”.

Over an oil lamp that night, Dongkoy and his sisters talked about the show.   Each sister takes turns as they narrate what they saw.  Dongkoy also added characters and event – that were totally out of the show.   They associated the villains among the bully in their neighborhood. They all laugh as they realized that the story that they were sharing has transformed into a reality TV show.

They fall asleep together with big smiles on their lips.
   

Closing

Thirty five years later, Dongkoy fulfilled his promised.  He bought a forty-two inch LCD TV and had been enjoying the old copies of the Voltes-V show.  His sisters had their TVs too, and perhaps also watch old re-runs of Voltes V.

Thirty five years later, Dongkoy and his sisters still share stories – not about Voltes V but stories of their lives.   

Thirty fives years later, I realized it was not the TV that matters, but the bonding that held us together that made us supportive and strong siblings.

Back to you evening master!

ACB 1st Advance Manual Project #3: The Brothers Kuya and Bunso

Advance Manual : 226-K   Story Telling
Project # 3    : The Moral of the Story
Title          : The Brothers Kuya and Bunso
Delivered at   : PICPA Riyadh Toastmasters Club
Evaluated by   : TM Allan Carodan
Target Norm    : Advance Communicator Bronze

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Opening

Set the mood of the story

When I was just a little boy, I asked my mother what will I be.  She just look at me in the eye and smile.   “Que Sera Sera What Ever will be will be, the future’s not ours to see, que sera sera”.  

Salutation

Good evening fellow toastmasters and guests.  I bet most of us here, in one point in our lives, asked the question “what will you be in the future”.  Now, that we are old… did someone asked that question to you?  
 

Body

Introduction

Few weeks ago, a good friend of mine asked the same question.  This time, he was not talking about growing up rather he was asking about his career.  I smiled at him and instead of answering the question, I shared him a story about the brothers Kuya and Bunso.  Allow me to share the same story to you.
 

The Story

Once upon a time, there were twin young brothers named Kuya and Bunso who lives near the edge of a huge forest.  They were orphans who has no else but themselves.  The twins grew up physically strong, courageous, and more importantly they were men of good heart. Every morning, they gather wood in the forest and the afternoon, they sell it in the city.  

One day in the forest, they heard a deep cry saying “help”. They look around and found an old lady, stuck in a large rock. Without second thought, they freed the lady and put bandages on her wound.

“Thank you”! “You are very good men”.  Said the old lady.   “I am not a fairy nor a witch, I’m just an ordinary old lady and has nothing for reward”.  The two brothers just smiled and started moving to gather wood.

“Wait”, the old woman called.  “I may not grant you a wish but I have something that could be interest to you”.  “Deep down the forest is a kingdom ruled by an evil king.  Free the people, save and marry the queen, and be a righteous king”.

The brother just look at each other, shrug their should, and continue walking.

That night, Bunso asked his brother.  “Kuya, do you believe on what the old lady said”?

“I don’t know, maybe it is true, maybe it is not”. “Nobody knows”.  “Even if it is true, I am not keen on taking my life into an unknown. Besides, I am already happy here”.

A long silence followed.   

“Kuya, I want to try”. 

“Then, let’s prepare for your journey”, Kuya answered.

That morning, the two brother embrace tightly as they say good bye to each other.  

“Be strong Bunso, be brave, and always believe in yourself”.  “Take my sword and protect yourself”.

And the journey begun.

Bunso travelled deep and far into the forest.  He encountered beasts of different kinds.  He slay a dragon, swam murky rivers, and killed crocodiles and snakes.  Until finally, he reached the wretched kingdom.   He didn’t waste time.  He start working on winning the hearts of populace, rally the people, and they overthrow the wicked king.  He married the queen and he ruled as a righteous king.

For forty years, the kingdom saw peace, abundance and extravagance.  But as he grow older, his heart became corrupt and he became wicked.  He ordered all his sons killed - because he was so greedy to gave up the thrown.  Little did he know, one of his son survived.  The young prince became the champion of the people and they overthrow him.

His son said “I will am not like you father, I will not kill you but you are vanished in this kingdom”.

Alone in the road, the old man was in shambles and in tears.  He is now paying for his sins.  With nowhere else to go, he decided to back to his old house.  

The road back home is now easier. Gone are the lions and dragons and no more deep rivers to cross.  But the old house still looks the same.  And his brother, though still alive, is already very old just like him.

They embrace and cried out of happiness.  Kuya prepared a sumptuous meal – the recipe courtesy of TM Richard – and they eat and drunk ‘till sundown.

That evening, asked his brother “Kuya, what happened to you when I left”.

Kuya answered. “I continued with my life: gather firewood, sell it to the city, visit some friends and then one day I met a young lady who became my wife”.  “We have children – whom has left the house because they started they own live somewhere, and my wife passed away few years ago”.  My life has been easy and simple.  I was happy, though.

“How about you, Bunso?”, Kuya asked.

Out of his slumber, Bunso told his adventure with glee and excitement.  His old muscle flexes as he narrate his adventure with the wild beast in the forest; his eyes sparkle as he narrate his first days as a king; and with tears, he recounted the last days when he became a wicked king and was vanished in the kingdom. 

“I failed, Kuya”.  He sobbed.

 “No my brother, you did not”.  Kuya interrupted.  “You may have lost a kingdom, your family, your name, but you have many things that I don’t have”.   “You made a choice, you experience an adventure, you have all the memories that I could only dream of”.  
 

Moral of the Story

Fellow Toastmasters, who are you in the story?  Are you the adventurous Bunso or the complacent Kuya? 

Me? I am definitely the personality of Bunso.  Twenty five years ago, I took my first steps of adventure and I am still walking in that path. I don’t know what will the end of this journey but one thing is for sure, I have lots of memories to remember!

Walking in the path of Kuya is not a bad choice.  That is his choice and he was happy with it.

To TM Jestrel , TM Lady, TM Neriss,  “You went up to the stage and participate, while I – we – just stayed in the sideline and watch as an audience”.  An experience you can treasure forever.

To my friend who asked me about the future of his career, … it is always your choice.  Don’t be afraid to make a decision. 

Fellow Toastmasters, did you made your choice in life?

In parting, I’d like to leave this quote from Aristotle.  “Twenty years from now, you will regret the decision you didn’t make more than the bad decision you made”

Back to you evening master!