In the last of the qualifying rounds for the GOTG 2013 final, Hungarian Zita Harsányi was first to take the stage in front of a packed Cotton Club audience. Regaling us with how she began to learn English, Zita added music and props to what was a charming performance. Next up, Viktor Morandini (the first of the two Morandini brothers on stage last night) introduced us to the art of Krav Maga, which he practices with his girlfriend, leading to all sorts of raised eyebrows from friends and colleagues. Well, if he told you what he'd spent the evening trying to stab his girlfriend but she kneed him where the sun don't shine, you might raise a brow, or two, as well. Third up, another Hungarian, Ilona Hegedus, took the folkloric route and entertained us with tales of Hungarian witches and witchcraft. Next, Miklós Morandini, the youger, spoke about speaking and gave the audience some handy tips, despite miscounting the few Irish in the room as a majority! Last to take the stage was New Zealander Scott Alexander Young, who spoke in quite moving terms of the smiliarities between Hungary and New Zealand - both isolated nations. [Ya had to be there!]
Going into the second half, we had a three-way tie betwee Viktor, Miklós, and Scott. A close competition. First up, Ilona drew an interesting topic: What if a Martian met a Hungarian? She decided to stick with this and spoke for three minutes on he, she or it... Next up, Zita's first choice was to talk about a time in her life when she helped someone out. Poor girl is still waiting for a homeless chap to call her to arrange to give back the change from the 5000 forint note she shared with him. Keep the faith, Zita! The world needs people like you. On drawing the rather topical topic of The new Pope, Scott went for a second pick - Grandmothers - and the audience decided that the latter was more interesting. He left us with an initialism - GILF - grannies I'd like to flirt with - and a set of images that will take some time to dispel. For Viktor, the audience opted to hear about the St Valentine's Massacre rather than his first job. And he did well to stick to the topic, despite the fact that his girlfriend is miles away today and their Valentine's dinner will be held on Skype. That's twenty-first-century romance for you. Miklós didn't even read his first topic because he knew he was going to give the audience a choice: Theorectical physics or what does a vegetarian eat in Hungary. Well, in a meat-loving nation, it's a difficult one, but he pulled it off.
So, to the final goes ... [drum roll] ... Mr Scott Alexander Young. Congratulations to all for taking part and to the judges for being such excellent armchair advisors. Thanks to Granthill Telecom Solutions, PhD Media, and the IHBC for sponsoring the event. And as always, thanks to Steve for the photos, to Kath for doing the door, Ilona for sorting the ideas, David for looking after the website, and the inimitable Jeremy Wheeler for keeping score.
We're getting ready for the big final (and a massive massive thank you to Zsuzsa Bozo for taking on the organisation) and tickets are already selling like langos on a wintry day. You can get yours at the Caledonia and check for more details on the website under LATEST NEWS. See you all on Thursday, 14th March, at New Orleans on Lovag Utca where the winner of GOTG 2013 will be crowned.
Going into the second half, we had a three-way tie betwee Viktor, Miklós, and Scott. A close competition. First up, Ilona drew an interesting topic: What if a Martian met a Hungarian? She decided to stick with this and spoke for three minutes on he, she or it... Next up, Zita's first choice was to talk about a time in her life when she helped someone out. Poor girl is still waiting for a homeless chap to call her to arrange to give back the change from the 5000 forint note she shared with him. Keep the faith, Zita! The world needs people like you. On drawing the rather topical topic of The new Pope, Scott went for a second pick - Grandmothers - and the audience decided that the latter was more interesting. He left us with an initialism - GILF - grannies I'd like to flirt with - and a set of images that will take some time to dispel. For Viktor, the audience opted to hear about the St Valentine's Massacre rather than his first job. And he did well to stick to the topic, despite the fact that his girlfriend is miles away today and their Valentine's dinner will be held on Skype. That's twenty-first-century romance for you. Miklós didn't even read his first topic because he knew he was going to give the audience a choice: Theorectical physics or what does a vegetarian eat in Hungary. Well, in a meat-loving nation, it's a difficult one, but he pulled it off.
So, to the final goes ... [drum roll] ... Mr Scott Alexander Young. Congratulations to all for taking part and to the judges for being such excellent armchair advisors. Thanks to Granthill Telecom Solutions, PhD Media, and the IHBC for sponsoring the event. And as always, thanks to Steve for the photos, to Kath for doing the door, Ilona for sorting the ideas, David for looking after the website, and the inimitable Jeremy Wheeler for keeping score.
We're getting ready for the big final (and a massive massive thank you to Zsuzsa Bozo for taking on the organisation) and tickets are already selling like langos on a wintry day. You can get yours at the Caledonia and check for more details on the website under LATEST NEWS. See you all on Thursday, 14th March, at New Orleans on Lovag Utca where the winner of GOTG 2013 will be crowned.
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