Caricatures by Angella at YMCA Toastmasters Singapore

A great evening at YMCA Toastmasters although I had trouble finding the floor and the lift kept opening its doors at the car park but in the lift I met a friend from Bradell Heights advanced Speakers (a shy guy who works in Changi prison - at least he claims he's not an inmate but working there - he gave a speech about rehab for prisoners at the Bradell Heights meeting). We both arrived a trifle late and I thought he might win the prize for table topics (impromptu speeches) as he began a humorous story with the dry opening, 'I'm sorry I was late for this meeting and I'm going to share with you - some of the reasons'. This immediately had the entire room in hysterics because one reason would be serious but several is really a set of excuses, no one of which on its own would be sufficiently convincing. It even implies he had more excuses, an inexhaustible supply which would continue until he was stopped.

At the end of the meeting I noticed one of the members had been drawing the faces of others. I enquired who was the caricaturist and said I too drew caricatures. I'd been speaking to bearded Ram whose many talents include being an actor - clearly an extravert, and Ram asked me to draw him. Edmund, the other caricaturist also drew Ram. I drew Edmund. Edmund drew me. All on the big flip chart. Ram went off with the two drawings of himself and I took the other two drawings of the artists. I was wondering how to get them home safely. I muttered to myself, 'Help me, Help me,' as I left the YMCA, and as if in answer to my prayers, (believers will say God answered, whilst rationalists will say that when I concentrated on the problem I improvised the best solution available), I noticed the long plastic bags designed to cover wet umbrellas and one of these was ideal for protecting my roll of paper both from getting wet and unrolling.

Edmund had shown me his signature which he made into a self-portrait. the name Angela is a bit harder - I tried making the first left hand a into an ear and the last right hand a into an ear and the g into a nose but it didn't work. However I created an agreeable drawing with my name Angela hidden in the hair between the fringe and the rest of my hair. I hope you like the effect. Shades of Hitchcock who always appeared in his films, and many artists and sculptors who, rather than making an obvious and separate signature in the corner, hide their name or trademark within a picture.