FDIP Toastmaster Club -- Member's Corner -- Featured Speech of the Week

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Featured Speech of the Week
This site area is created to give special publicity to our member who was voted as the Speaker of the Day. It is published here to highlight the key strong points of the speech in which the speaker was able to meet speech's objectives.

Time of my Life
Annaliza Dela Cruz
Date presented: June 28, 2002

“I made it through the rain, I kept my world protected. I made it through the rain, and kept my points of view. I made it through the rain and found my self-respected by the others who got rained on too and made it through…”

Yes, my dearest fellow toastmasters, able Toastmaster Rene Aquino, guests, welcome to my life, the time of my life!

I am Annaliza Bautista dela Cruz. My friends in school usually call me Anna. My family, relatives, officemates and bosom friends call me Isay. If I will be asked to describe my life in a song, this classical song sung by Barry Manilow is the most suitable one for me. I don’t know, but everytime I hear it, I couldn’t help but look back in those old days when I was just a struggling student, I used to say, trying hard but not a copycat.

Okay, before I become sentimental just like the song, let me tell you one beautiful story that happened during my younger years. I can still remember my childhood days, it was very memorable for me. I was in my kindergarten when I experienced to be given an honor. I was the third place in our class. My father was so proud of me that he went with me on the stage to receive my merit award. After the recognition, he told me that if I will become the first honor in our class on my first grade he’ll gonna give me a watch.

During those times, you feel somebody if you have this Sanrio watch, Mickey Mouse watch, or the Casio watch with a calculator. I was so obsessed that I really tried hard to excel in our section, and I made it! I was the first honor! Huh! So you think I got my watch that easy? No…. My father did not gave me the watch, instead made another promise for the next school year. You see, my father is a Senior Sanitary Inspector in Manila City Hall. Most restaurants in Manila especially on the district where he was assigned would ask him to get their sanitary permit. I could tell that he was famous then. Everybody was looking for him, seeking help, assistance, oh, so what about me? Nothing! But a promise. When I was in grade three, my teacher came in our house and told my parents that I was among those students from different school selected to take the accelerated exam. I heard it again! “If you pass this exam, I’ll give you the watch I promised.” Next school year came, and from grade three I’ve been in grade V with 25 other student from different schools. The watch? I never had it.

My father is gone. The watch that he promised me never happened in reality. But it did made impact in my life. Everytime I am faced in a challenging situation, I know that I have to stand up and dare myself that I can make it. At stake is a big watch that my father gave me. I firmly believe that he gave it to me, standing still, so proud, I consider that clock in the building of the Manila City Hall as mine. Funny? As I look at it, I can see my father telling me, “if you can make it, you’ll have this!” Little by little did I realized what he was trying me to become. Little by little did I understand what he was trying me to be. I grew up with this expectation in my mind. Life is so sweet that even there are lots of things to struggle, so much hardships to take still I have to give the best in me. And there are times when I’m about to give up, I just have to look at my big watch and challenge myself, “I can have you one day! You bet!”

I remember the words of Booker T. Washington, Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life, as by the obstacles that one has overcome while trying to succeed. Every now and then, I feel the rain but not the pain because I all know that after the rain there is a rainbow. And it took me twenty-eight years of my life to see my rainbow, got my own watch now. And as I go along the journey of my life, I know there might be more rain, but again and again and again I will say, I’ll make it through the rain, because this is the time of my life!

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