Shu Konno

And I'm leaving on a jet plane,

Don't know when I'll be back again ....

Dear all,

As I told you at tonight meeting(My last attending), I will leave Singapore for Japan next week.

Tonight farewell speech given by Chai Tun, and kind gift ... these are really good memory for me.

Moreover, everytime I attend this club, everybody gave me kind support.
This is very very impressive for me.

I will join a Toastmasters club in Japan. Once I settle in a club, I will report to you.

I also hope the new Toa Payoh Central CC Toast masters club will develop and prosper more and more, keeping a good atmosphere.

Thank you very much!!

Shu Konno 14/12/04

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. . . So that Shu could stay

by Lincoln Han

My married friends used to tell me that the fastest way to expand a person social circle is to get married - your friends and relatives will double.

What a pity, they never heard of Toastmasters.

In toastmasters, we get to know many people that we can have never imagine we will meet before - people of different nationality, culture and tradition.

Amongst my circle of toastmasters' friends, the most unique, outstanding of them all is someone from the land of the rising sun. His name is Shu Konno.

Like his samurai ancestors, Shu is one of the bravest men I ever know.

He dares to eat durians and smelly bean curbs.

Shu adventurous spirit not only reflects in his choice of exotic food. One can never imagine that he came to Singapore a year ago, on a one-way ticket without knowing anyone to look for a job. And he did after 3 months.

As I get to know him better as a friend, I realized that we are simpatico in many things.

For example, we both love to walk. The first time that we walked for more than one hour, non-stop from Suntec City to Toa Payoh centre, he kept asking me, "Are you sure you are a Singaporean? Singaporeans cannot walk for so long...."

Of the many outings that we had together, I can never forget one particular interesting incident.

I introduced him to a Chinese national girl friend called Helen. After Helen introduced herself in English, to my surprise, Shu introduced himself in mandarin. He spoke and wrote in Chinese so well that Helen simply refused to believe that he is a Japanese and she kept asking him, "Are you sure you are a Japanese?"

Further to my amazement, I later learnt that my humble friend picked up Chinese and English language through mere reading and listening to audio tapes.

His self-learner attitude to excellence is really commendable.

As a matter of fact, this incident actually inspired me to create an acronym using his name Shu - Smart, Handsome, Unique.

Sadly to say, Shu is returning to Senpai, his hometown on Dec 22nd 2004.

May the friends and friendship that he fosters during his stay in toastmasters form a positive impact to whatever things he does and wherever he goes.

May the force be with him.

 

 

Lincoln Han, ctm

is a Toastmaster with Hong Kah and Jurong Town CC Toastmasters Club.
A regular visitor of TPCTMC (SMTMC), a keen contest speaker and an unofficial photographer of various TM activities. He posts his collection at vsensation.

Lately, he acted in the Malay Channel, Suria and started his first stand-up comedy with the 1st Commando Battalion

He is also a freelance trainer. His clients include Cedar Girls' Secondary and Cresent Girls' Secondary.

 

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