But, his silver tooth flashing and hands waving, he gave such a lively performance that he he won the best story-teller award in the Mandarin category yesterday (30/11).

Whipping out an mp3 player from his pocket, he told The Straits Times he had practiced for the contest by recording his story on the electronic device and listening to it to find ways to improve.

The nationwide contest was held in all four languages, and the finals held yesterday at the National Library on Victoria Street. Each winner received $1,000.

Management consultant Ms Amy Loh, 61, who had recently returned from living in Belgium 16 years, won in the English language category, while private tutor, Mr Yousef Rowther, 60, pleased the crowd with his expressive gestures; even ending his Tamil-language story with a little ditty.

With the award open to anyone aged 45 and up, Mdm Latifah Sidek was the youngest winner, at 46. 'I'm beginning to consider myself a 'senior' after taking part,' joked the winner of the Malay category.

Read the full story in Monday's edition of the Straits Times.