Young, Famous and Rich

Note: This is my speech for Humorous speech contest in Kebayoran Toastmaster club on August 27, 2013. I won the second place. I didn't present exactly like I wrote. You have to be there to see when I am in action. (Thank you for reading)


What do you want to be? It was a question that I asked to my high school students. Half of them said, “I want to be famous” and half of them said, “I want to be rich” And the rest said, “ I want to be Young, Famous and Rich”

Ladies and Gentlemen: honorable judges, madam contest chair,

What the great combination is "to be Young, Famous and Rich"
 Who doesn't want it?

It was also my dream.

To be famous is the first step before being rich. And I looked for the easiest job to be famous….

Aha… How about to be the model, the job looked so easy, we just need to walk … one… two… three… and posed…one… two… three… and posed. I had all they needed to be the model…. Look at me….

Wait a minute!  I forgot so many things about being the model. Model is not about posing and walking elegantly but there is some other requirement

Model should be at least 5 feet 6 inches tall. They asked me, “How tall are you” I said, “I am exactly 5 feet” 
They said, “Please come back when you grow up a little bit taller”
I think I stop growing taller… it is impossible to be a model.

Next the model should be skinny. I think what they mean about Skinny is “SKIN ONLY” … While I had too many meat under my skin.

O… I found the truth about model, the skinnier your body the better you will be. If you don’t believe me, model just like a hanger.  After my speech you can go to the mall and see the designer dresses, all looked good on the hanger but when you wear it, it might be to tight and it will expose your “BODY FAT deposit" here and there.

Unfortunately!  I loved my fat deposit I cannot be the model and also I couldn't be a good hanger for the designer dress.

Additional consideration for me to be a model is "Model has to watch what they eat. Even though they have money … maybe they could only eat granola bar!!" I decide not “To be Famous for the skin only”.

Forget about being famous. Now I chased to be YOUNG …

I thought to be the comedian, because comedian was always happy and entertain people all the time.  So they could be forever young.  And being a comedian they don’t need body shape requirement. We can be fat only, skin only, short or tall. It doesn't matter

As long as they could handle humiliation, they were fine. Once again during my era most comedians died young because they worked so hard to make other people happy but they might not be happy at all.

So the formula would be” Famous but died young” or “Died young before Rich” It was not my destination.

The last was to be Rich… I aimed to be the writer… such as JK Rowling who created Harry Potter. She got the inspiration during her daily trip on the train. It was fantastic and brilliant stories. She is extremely famous and rich and she is in my age.  I tried to get the inspiration, but I didn't go with train. 

I sat in the toilet waiting for the character, an idea, an inspiration to come…. But there is … “no Harry, no Merry, no Carrie and no ideas came out into my brain. The only thing came out was hemorrhoid because I sat too long in the toilet. 

Rich is not for me. I decided to accept my job as a teacher.  

If you asked me, whether I achieve to be “Young, Famous and Rich”

The answer was, “Yes, I have achieved that”

How???

I always walk like a model while entering my classroom and the students are always paying their attention. Sometimes I become a comedian while I am telling jokes in front of my students. I am teaching Accounting, I know half of the world doesn't like Accounting. So I tried to make “Fun-counting” Definitely I also become a writer for their exam questions.

I am actually YOUNG because no matter how old I am, my students always call me, “Miss Lina”
And Famous as the funny teacher … the last I am Rich with experiences in life.



Ladies and Gentlemen, honorable judges and contest chair

If  “YOUNG, FAMOUS and RICH” is not for you.  

No worries, there is only one thing you will always have; that is TO BE YOURSELF.

Back to you madam contest-chair.

Jakarta, August 26, 2013
Lina Kartasasmita at 10.42 PM


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