Perfectly Imperfect: A Wabi-Sabi Table Topics Experience

 

Last night was another club visit for me—this time at Serangoon Central. Yet again, a warm, friendly environment at a Toastmasters club.

What impressed me the most was the Table Topics segment, where the Table Topics Master displayed her topics in the form of sushis! And to truly appreciate her efforts—she even painted the papers, perfectly rolled them, secured them with rubber bands, and placed everything on a porcelain plate. For a moment, it genuinely resembled real sushi. I truly appreciated her effort and creativity. She was clearly inspired by something Japanese.

The first thing that came to my mind was Duolingo—because once, I had tried to learn Japanese on Duolingo. The result? I couldn’t even survive the first lesson. A beautiful language, but more like an art form! It’s not like the Spanish lessons I used to take—I found Spanish somewhat easier, as it’s more closely associated with English. At least the letters weren’t in an art form!

Honestly, I knew nothing about Japanese other than Ikigai—a book I had read. And as one fellow Toastmaster joked—Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi—yup, that’s about all I knew too!

One contrast though—I’m not a techie person. And maybe that blazing contrast is also one reason why I never made it past Lesson 1. Because looking at the list—Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi—it feels like the Japanese are way more into tech than I’ll ever be!

Now, coming to the point—what was the Table Topic I got, and what did I speak about?

Wabi-Sabi – The beauty of imperfection.

Finding beauty in things as they are, rather than trying to perfect them.

The first thought that came to mind was—I love to paint. But it won’t be perfect. The lines might be shaky, the colours might bleed. Still, it fits me. It’s mine. It’s my own version of perfection—imperfect perfection, as I called it.

Then I spoke about the chessboard, where there are 16 pieces. The pawn is usually the one to make the first move. (Just like the Sergeant-at-Arms—least in the EXCO, but the first to act in the meeting!) After that, it can move only one step at a time. No hooks or crooks like the rook, the queen, the knight, or the bishop.

But when a pawn reaches the end of the board, it can transform into a beautiful queen, or any other powerful piece—like the rook, knight, or bishop (as taught by Duolingo!).

And that’s exactly how life is. You don’t have to begin big or flashy.

You just have to begin.

Even if you trip. Even if your steps are slow. Even if you feel like the least powerful piece on the board.

Because success isn’t always about perfection. It’s about progress—a simple step, one at a time—all the way through, failing, learning, and thriving until the end of the game.

That’s how I embrace my imperfections—and that night, I truly felt the spirit of Wabi-Sabi come alive.