I have a Toastmasters' meeting tonight and I ain't a prepared speaker.
That means, I have lots of possibilities of "assigning" to be an impromptu speaker.
Today's theme is expo, so, I just want to be prepared for possible questions!
1. Do you have any memories about expo?
Unfortunately, I haven't visited a world exposition so far. However, impressive expo to me is the last one, the world expo in Aichi in 2005. At that time, my husband and I lived in America, so we watched the expo's news with some nostalgia. My in-law's house is in Mie prefecture, so the expo's venue was very near there. We talked, "we wish we lived in Japan! We could visit the world expo, the biggest expo in the world!" I remember, when my husband visited Japan for his business trip just after the expo, he bought cell-phone straps of the expo's characters, Morizo and Kikkoro. In those days, we got tired of living in a foreign country, so everything from Japan looked excellent to us. We said, "Wow! How cute they are! We really miss Japan!!"
However, in 2010, the world expo in Shanghai is being held. I heard the character looked like an American character, then I became feel like I really miss America.
Whenever I hear the world expo's news, what I learn from it is "the grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence."
2. Have you visited an expo except for the world expo?
Last year, my friend asked me to go to "the world beauty Japan expo" together. It was held at Makuhari Messe. The expo was basically for people who worked for beauty industries, such as hair stylists, aestheticians, nail stylists, eyelash stylists, and so on. My friend didn't work for a beauty industry as well as me, but her nail stylist gave her two tickets. So, we pretended to be nail stylists, and sneaked into the expo. The expo was so gorgeous. There were so many vendors who introduced top-of-the-line, the latest skincare products, hair styling products, make-up goods, and they gave me samples! We were really excited to get those samples, but the vendors intended to sell those products. We had name tags, and they said we were nail stylists. So, we were asked "hey, you are a nail stylist? Would you like to use our product in your nail saloon?" all the time. When we visited a nail corner, the thing got worse. We couldn't resist to try "gel-nail free trial." But during the time we got free nail art, the "real" nail stylist asked us about professional questions all the time. In exchange for free nail art & free samples of beauty products, we were exhausted by lying and we learned a lesson. " We are supposed to pay much for just one lie."
3. Do you have an idea of invention for an world expo?
Of course I do. I want someone who is very clever to invent something not to... forget.
I am very careless person even though I try not to be. I often leave something on a public space, especially, an umbrella. The pattern is always the same. On a rainy day, when I'm tired, I get on a train. I take a seat, hang my umbrella on a rail, then I fall asleep. When I wake up, I have to dash to get off. After the train leaves, I realize my umbrella is in the train!
I really appreciate if someone can invent a clever tool not to be so forgetful. However, there is one thing I shouldn't forget from the incident. That is the fact I always get my umbrella back. Because Japan is still one of the safest countries in the world, nobody takes my umbrella even I leave it in a train. Also, Japanese station employees are so well-trained to find lost and founds.
I know we can see many update inventions at the world expo, but things human being can't invent are safety, well-trained employees, and maybe positiveness even when I repeat same mistakes.
4. Do you have any thoughts about the world expo in Shanghai?
Yes, I do have some thoughts about it. When the world expo in Shanghai started, my husband and I were in Guam. It was the beginning of Golden Week holidays. We heard there were so many people that they had to get in line for three or four hours to enter a pavilion. We talked,
"Wow! We don't want to visit such a crowded place!" Then, after we came back from Guam, we planned to go to the Gundam Cafe in Akiwabara. As many of you know, Gundam is a very popular animated show featuring a giant robot called "Gundam." Gundam Cafe is just opened a few weeks before, themed the animated program. Like other guys in his generation, my husband really loved Gundam, so he was looking forwarad to having "Amuro ray's pilot lunch" and watching many exclusive plastic models of Gumdam. I followed him to Akiwabara, and we found the cafe...but we also found there were three long lines around the cafe. One is to enter the souvenir shop, another is to buy Gundam-yaki (pancake,) and the other is to enter the cafe and order lunch or tea. The cafe's clerk said, "it must take more than three hours to enter the cafe!!" We were completely overwhelmed to see so many people around the cafe, and my husband was saying, "Where are we? Is this the world expo in Shanghai? So many people from different countries!" Because Gundam is so popular worldwide, we could see many international people waiting for the pavilion...I mean, cafe. So, probably you didn't know, but we have another "world expo" in Akiwabara.
...Sorry for silly answers!!
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