Speeches, but no photo

Yesterday, I captured lots of interesting speeches, the voices and also video.

I did not take any photo - I miss it.

Did I learn something "new"?

I loved Nathalie's idea to repeat some of the old speeches, some of the old techniques that are not yet all absorbed in us. It is not easy as we have many members that would like to advance and speak too, and also myself (she too) who wants at the same time to go farther, faster.

Perhaps, we could incorportate those techniques in our next speeches or give the prepared speech again, better, somewhere when there is a need,a hole, a place.

Tonight, I hope we will have a great meeting, the last of our outgoing Toastmasters President. Oh, the name is so misleading! No Toast, no Roast and no red clothes as some people think about when they hear the name. 'Just' people gathered together to help each other learn better public speaking skills.

But we have some great people, so diverse and so interesting!

I am angry!

I am angry and I am not the only one who is or will be.

Of course, I did not expect a lot from the Cameron government, as I always felt something wrong with him, his smiles and attitudes not to my liking.

And to reduce UK depth, instead of taking from the Banks and very rich, a bit more, he goes down on old people.

It seems it costs too much of the government money to let old people go to swimming pools without paying!

I think, it could cost more the health going down, or should I say "we all have to contribute?" For the moment, I was really furious when I was told "from end of July you cannot come free to swim any more, so the government decided. No more free swimming pool for the old.!"

Gym Competition: She won!

Perhaps England football team did not win yesterday, they could do it another year, I hope for them, but WE WON.

Yesterday, my grand daughter received the Second price in Gym in her group, as the winners were choosen group by group, and with quite hight points too.

As it was only a year she begun, that is quite an achievement for her. As it the fact, that after only two years in England, and having not so long ago known only the French, she was received in a good Grammar school.

She is persistent. Bright, of course and intelligent too, but adding persistence to it makes her a Winner.

Day by day, she spend hours of practising her gym movements in school and finally could do even those a few days ago she told me: "I cannot" - she could and did do them!

I ponder about my life

Thinking back of what happened before, is a bit like the reflections in the pond.

It can depend on the sun and the clouds, the direction of the rays and the time of the day, or years in the case of the memories, and also the wind: deforming fast when the water moves or the emotions rise.

A neighbour asked me last week if I tell to truth, really, or invent and lie.

No, I do not lie, neither tell the "whole truth: - in fact, it is an emotional truth, depending of what I want to make come accross, and the change fro; "real' life to story in deciding what to leave out.

Our life is so complex, it can not be put 'all' in a few minutes, or even an hour, any event is more then a story and at the same time, we can take from any event what we feel it needs and shape it into a story.

In many different stories, in fact, from the same event, depending what we put in and what we leave out and how we shape it and the inflection of our voice and our contact to the listeners.

That is also the strength and marvel of Storytelling. Always fluid and never static, never frozen, as a pond could be in winter or our texts on a paper.

Lately, I do not write down.

Yesterday, I was happy about the way I told two of three of my last stories that have to go together soon, and put a 'new face" on it. By adding some photos more appropriate perhaps, the story changed. The words behind them are the same, yet, already seem different.

Life is never ending and what lead to a situation and what resulted can take years, in a story it has to be finished somewhere, in a place satisfying first the listener then the storyteller.

It is 'true' I met my third man, a professor from America, the night in Paris when later, I remained with him, but in my story I do not tell, in this one at least, that after thet I dreamed for a year about him, and finally, we did meet for a wonderful New York week, before parting for ever. Or almost. We did write each other, for long time after our first meeting. So it was a fast coming together perhaps, but not an 'one night stand' as the story tells, but the story does stop there.

My aim with that story is to show there are not two different type oft women, the Madonna and the Whore but we are all Human.

Also, again coming back to the memories, our recollection of what happened changes with time, but most importantly, as we shape an event or chain of events in a story to be told, we come to peace with what happened and understand it more and more.

They are so many gray areas that the story can convey, not only black and white, lie or truth. As there are many reflections in a pond.

A tale with 'real' pictures - The first time

A little better, here are together the 2nd and 3rd story with some pictures of me or taken by me.



There are indeed so many first times. I appreciate here my inflection and voice, I hope I will be able to be as good or better as I tell it.

The first time, in Preparation

Preparing for the 5th of July spectacle, at the Canal Cafe Theatre, near Little Venice, London, I told the first two parts of the story and put some pictures with it, alas, unrelated mostly to the story. I will have to put it again back to the storyboard and also finish the story.

The last part is happening at 70, first time after 70 is still squary and delightfool too.

Tests

This one is ok when I want to add some text near it, and for this picture it would be even enough.
New interface and how to on my picture flickr site, I have to learn how to use it.

This one has to be put in the center.

How large can be a photo for this blog?

Still Ok, the new "Medium large, larger? In very rare occasion to be used only.

England, finally

The England team finally did not have to come home.

Yesterday, I found my grand-son in a black tea-shirt but his trousers had blue-red-white colours. Is it France? I asked my French grandson. "No, in fact it is England" for the English team.

They have to gain tonight, I said.

Oh, no, they already did that. They are IN!

He was at 9 more up to date as me.

Interesting flag with the three lyons, that I do not know what they signify, but I see nowadays everywhere the flag for the team and England. And yes, I do believe we should not leave a flag to the nationalists, the history is all "ours".

Of course, I am Hungarian at heart, and was happy when they cut out, after 1989 the communists symbols out from the middle and put back in use the flag I knew as child. I am also French and love the French flag and cheered when "we" won the Championship and the Champs Elysée was full of proud people.

So, nowadays, living in London, I cheer with my grandson who wears the English colours and informs me that "we have lost (the French)" then also that "we WON!"

Creative Commons and copyright

This morming, the administrator of a gruop called Free pictures of Creative Commons, asked me to addd this image (uncropped then) to his group.

It was taken, two years ago, a group of Japan dancers, performers marching up the Butte Montmartre in Paris on a close sky day.

Should I add it to the group?

Creative Commons have different licences, I put my pictures Free of Use for any other then Commercial use. I took the image, I like them used but why should anyone gain money with it without giving me part of it?

So far, I sold only one image "direct" a print, and one through the web that was used in an Advertizing Magazine, very slick and nicely. Many others asked me and I am sure they used some of mine's without finally paying anything.

Even the Universities that used them with my permission, promissing to send me a copy of their Megazine, most the time do not do it. I feel it is unfair. Grabb all you want and use it, and most of the time even not Attributing it, as my licence ask them.

I did let my pictures be downloaded, printed, blogged. I enjoy the 1000 to 2000 people, I still hardly believe, coming day by day to look to my new and old pictures. I put them in categories easy to find, with tags easy to search. Is it too much to ask the respect of telling from where it come?

This morning, I pondered all this and did not put my picture in the group but asked further information from its leader. But I had the joy, again, to discover someone found this one interesting.

Around me

This morning, the doctor. Then I went to buy some fruits.

Of course, I took my camera with me.

Not only I found great flowers, an interesting decaying wall, but two charming ladies very happy that I took them in photo.

After they gave me the place where to put the pictures, when I print them, I took some more photos of them.

I was so happy, as I come back, that I did not forget my camera!

The war cought up with me, Blue Elephant Theatre

Yohanna from Spark London send me this version of the tale, as I delivered it in face of the audience at the Blue Elephant Theatre in London. Yet another version of the same story.

I am happy with my voice variety in it, and it is interesting what I added and what I left out (the dogs barking on the train platform for exemple). In all, not bad, the voice variety adds to it and is really important.


Even if one can not see my movements that did add to the tale too.

I did edit it but very slightly, mostly because sometimes I went far away from the microphone, and I had to amplify a bit the voice.

An image can tell a story too

An image can tell a story too, true.

But words and body language and delivered to live public can tell perhaps more, sometimes at least.

More I read the book I bought from the Toastmasters International, more I appreciate all the author, Johanna Slan, tells me in it. More I understand how to craft a story, from life experience and the importance of processing it well before telling.

I knew of course that I had those three short connected stories to tell next month, for the first time, but hopefully also some other times later, about my "Firsts".

As it begun at first, the number one was about my first Honeymoon. In fact, after having read the chapter about "how to grow a story" from the book "Using Stories and Humor" to grab your audience, that first story is about Growing up, Going out the first time from the familly and as I see it for the moment, the title would be even better "My first big lie".

I was 25 but when we went on the train to that destination, I still remember, we felt, both of us as if we were adolescents running away from the school.

There is a time in anyone's life when he or she has to take a step on his own without consulting the parents, or even as it was my case then, against her father's decision not to let her go away anywhere with "that boy."

So, perhaps my father judged him better then me at that time, but it was time for me anyway to grow up and go out from under his wings protecting me too much and not well enough anyway. Time to grow up.

That is a more general story that just my first honeymoon - four month after I did become a woman at late age of 25. How I will tell it in such a short time will now be influenced by the book I am reading, and later on by the audience reaction to it.

The second story, First one night love, is about realizing one does not have to wait five years, as I did the first time, in a few hours someone can give more to you than someone to whom you were married for 15 years. That there is no such thing as a Serious Woman and a Loose Woman, we are one and act differently from time to time, but are the same. It is also in fact a Growing, Eye opening tale.

After my ex - the same I went away with in the first tale, told me at 40 "you are too old, no one will want ever to touch you any more - your life as woman is finished" it was a wonderful one night adventure with a tender intelligent man in Paris for the first time, that proved him wrong. And taught me a lesson.

My third story is about a First after many years and it was when I just have had my 70th anniversary. Proving me that not only at 40 I was not "finished as woman" but even at 70 I still was one and could be desired. That going old, does not mean what some and even me sometimes thought it means.

The three Firsts waived together, could make a really good story, if I succeed to tell them in a manner a way to make it a story about all who are in the audience too.

Alas, the time will go away fast, I promised it for the 5th of July.

At least, that will be the First time to tell my Firsts tales.

Delivery from Germany

I bought through the Internet some new Manuals and a book about Storytelling from Toastmasters International, located in California.

Strangely, I did receive them, yesterday, from Germany.

Probably, that is where they send in bulk, but still charging lots for sending, and then dispatch it all through Europe. This very nice girl, postman came in telling me: You have a package from Germany!

Germany?

I had not ordered anything from there...

Somehow of course I knew that it was from USA in fact just come through another European country. They told me last time I asked, it takes 21 days to arrive, finally it did arrive in only two weeks.

The important, I have it.

Very interesting book that explains why all great professional speakers use Stories, Personal Stories they have created, in their speech.

It is not so good in helping to collect them as other Storytelling books I have - as the Power of Personal Storytelling for example - but it does explain with detail different kind of stories, and also how we do have sometimes to let them grow.

The book makes a big difference between Storytellers and Professional Speakers, I think there is nowadays less and less, the book, very good indeed, was written 12 years ago and yes, in the Storytelling world lot has changed since.

A new book for me to study and a new incentive to bring more storytelling in our club program.

Toastmaster Jenny

Yesterday, I have given my first "Power Point" presentation, at Bromley.

In fact, it was a Keynote presentation, transformed and send to Jenny, the Vice President of Education from the Bromley Speakers club, who invited me two month ago to come and give a speech in their club.

For me, it was the first time I used Keynote, the Macintosh's Power Point presentation tool, in order to speak. I choose pictures, they speak better then words, I also believe they are more effective way to complement a speech then words on the wall.

Jenny and the other Toastmasters of Bromley club set up for me the big screen, also a bit too big for my taste, her computer and a pointing system so I can change the pictures from afar.

For 12 minutes, I was able to Inform the club members present of the different possibilities of Stepping Out of the Club.

Last minute finding, at least last day's was to compare the inside the club with a woman's womb and stepping out daring to grow up, to stretch our comfort zone, and to Become Public Speakers.

He also contributed a lot for me to be able to give my presentation. After the meeting we went to a pub and continued speaking.

Today, I listened again to the Evaluation of Chris about my speech, it was quite positive and he did find things which I found normal: I did not speak as an accomplishment of what I achieved, did, where I went, but just as an information about what it can be done.

Here is the evaluation if you want to listen to it.


At the beginning of the meeting, the outgoing President who for this special occasion, the last meeting he was still president, brought three hats, for the three roles he will take this night. It was fun! The meeting begun with joy and we had also an amusing and original first speech: he young speaker telling us all he decided not to tell.

At the end, we had a 'last' speech from the same Toastmasters manual, inspirational: it is never too late.

My example, proves it too.

Zandria, yesterday's ABC

Yesterday, in our Toastmaster Meeting at Lewisham Speakers Club, Zandria has given her Ice-breaker, as we call the first speach in from the Competent Communication Manual's ten speeches.

With her first speech already she has proven she is very inventive and not a real "newcomer' to speaking in public.

She used the whole ABC letters to tell us a tale about her life. She found what to tell and how through the abc tell us a lot about herself.

Wonderful idea!

Winston, evaluating her, began telling his suspicion that she has already spoken, so well it was done, using voice variety and props, too.

We had another great speaker Breaking the Ice, Kathy, a born storyteller, as her evaluator told us, indeed, I can still see before my eyes her mother in the last day - before she was born - working in the garden in a warm weather near a small house in England. She took us through ups and downs of Kathy's life, and she not only told us but proved she indeed has backbone!

Such a great pleasure to listen to them taking their first steps, I am sure fast they will fly high and far. Their first speeches proves it already.

Very busy week

This is one of my busiest week so far, and I feel with important things to do too.

Yesterday, a great afternoon with my grand-children, I played with them and they were so happy to begin to understand and participated at their games, to bake bread together, too. In fact, they did it, finish the half baked baguette I did buy and took with me, and they liked it also a lot.

Today, I really have to do something about my car that did not move, again, for six month! It means if fact that I really do not need one... I think.

The bus can take me this afternoon to the meeting, I should try to participate at least one last time. Try to make contact with other's projects, if possible. Staying home, will for sure not make the connection.

Tomorrow, evening, a program arranged by me at which I participate only staying back, holding back, trying to let others shine and showing I do not want to shine but help only from behind. I do hope to do that for a year, in that club. In the other I will be more in the open, making contacts but only when needed as much as needed. I really have never had personal ambitions to be in front line or center. Always felt better in the background counseling, directing the play and not being the main actor.

Alas, I never had a lot of tact, either.

Thurday, the more challenging day for me this week, I will speak and present a Power Point (or Keynote) presentation, Informing, demonstrating what I mean too, to another Club members. Some very friendly known faces will be present, encourage me for sure. Today, I will have to rehearse the speech even if most is not written, but the images are there, hope will be on the screen, to guide.

Friday, will be the day the children will come to my place: I have to plan for it too.

Sunday afternoon, Table Topics ans Discussion at the Hyde Park Speakers Corner!

Monday, the first day of Summer, a special photo day for the International group: A day of our life.

The bords of rivers

Most in this category are from Paris, here is a slide show, please stop it when you had enough or stop and go to one of images you like.

For the moment there are here all my images tagged "quai" and I do not know how to tell it how many I want to show, but the most interesting, after flickr at least, are on the top.

a small video from the Heath

A tiny video of things moving in the air, the sky vas grey but a bit of wind just to move them was there.

Slide show from the Blackheath Kite festival

SOON - kite and byke festival near me

Blackheath Bike and Kite Festival 2009 from Blackheath Bugle on Vimeo.

this  has been taken last year Thanks to Blackheat Buggle for letting me publish it, it is from his blog and Vimeo too.

It does begin at 12 noon.

Yesterday, I have seen them

Yesterday, I have seen them, the first time, in action,

I went through Blackheath Royal Standard at 3 30 and near the bus station, alas, I did not have my camera with me. here he was, the nice but frightening looking metropolitan policeman, a teacher (or two) and a group of young students just in their way from school towards home, near the bus station.

In big discussion.

I did not know what they were discussing, what he was explaining to the group, but he was there doing his job. Then, going farther, two other policemen - one woman again - were walking to the same direction. In case they were needed?

Mostly prevention, in our neighbourhood.

Curious, that in two years I had the impression there is no police at all around here, and suddenly, after the meeting, I see their presence. Them working. Being out and in uniform. It is all possible, that before they were there mostly in plain clothes.

One day, I will try to take a photo of their work, but if the same should go from clothed to plain cloth, it would be better not, of course. Let them do their job. Prevention, around here, mostly.

Neighbourhood watch

The first meeting of the association of the Neighbourhood watch on my street and its suroundings has been relaumched yesterday by a meeting at the St. John's Church.

We had the Metropolitan Local Police representative to speak us as well as the menager of the local M&S Simply food. Strange, I always thought about it as Mark and Spencer and not Simply food.

It appears, that from the time, more then a year ago, that the Metropolitan police has opened a nearby permanence, with clothes and undercover policemen, the problems, which were always lower here then other hot neighbourhoods, lowered.

Sometimes, a presence is enough, mostly as the young adolescents goes out from shcool towards where they live, a bit farther in London. They were still two breaks in house and an appartment the last six month.

"Only"

For me two is too much already.

We were also warned not to let strangers in, ask telephone numbers and try it. I am not so sure, more sophisticated theefs, can not have a friend who would answer... telling yes, all is in order.

I also heard, images are important, then my idea to take portrait of people who come into my appartment, to deliver, to repair, etc is not so bad, even if I begun to take it just for friendly purpose.

Of course, there are lots of really very nice people, and very few with bad intentions, still, we have to be carefull, especially older women like me.

I wonder now if the young man telling me he came from Thames Water, to test if they can install a meter, was genuine and if not, if he did not come back because I told him when he does, I would like to take a portrait of him.

Julie Kertesz at the Blue Elephant

Uploaded to flickr by SparkLondon, not a very good picture but showing how much the spotlight was on my face - in fact it also shows that the black close worked well as the face and hands could be seen best.

Next event when I will speak and this time a funnier subject will be at 5th July but anyone wanting a ticket from Cafe Canal Theatre has to buy it now because the events sold out very fast.

Is it because it is not expensive? Is it because people like personal stories? It is also because Johanna does coach us really well.

The July theme is FIRST.

What first evoke in you? When I begun my first writing workhop with retired people - leading it - we wrote a list of 100 First and then one story that wanted to be told from it. Lots of interesting stuff came out of it.

Spark, London

Spark London, and its animator Johanna, organizes a week long event at the Blue Elephant this week.

Each day, another theme.

Yesterday, the theme was HOME, and I was one of the six speakers. It went well, we had great public, wonderful personal storytellers, and I did not have problems telling my tale.

"I liked it, you made me feel strongly with what happened" Someone else, told me that it was the first time they met and heard someone who had lived the Second World War - about which I told my tale. You, telling us about your doll, made an instant connection with the audience, told me another teller. I liked that you did not stay near the microphone but moved, that made a more intimate contact with the audience.

I was happy it went well, but exhausted after speaking, lots of energy goes in it even if it feels very relaxed, or perhaps even more then.

Still, not seeing the audience and having the lights all on you is still not easy for me, the lights directly on my eyes - that was my main reason to move around.

I also spoke with Johanna about my next speech the 5th of July at the Cafe Canal Theatre, she loved the idea I had " so original, it was not yet done!"

Of course, all was done before, I am sure, but not my way. Each of our lifes and way is different.

I would like to be able to loose 2 or three stones till 5 July but that is not possible, so I will have to find a better way to dress - to show less of my waight, also my age and round figure will be a good counrepoint to my tale about my lovers.

The Theme in July will be First.

First times... there are so many Firsts in life - it is a great theme.

Studying in a cafe

It was on the street, a table before a cafe in Paris.

I was passing, four years ago, and then, suddenly stopped by her absorbtion in her work. I was past 70 and she not more then 20, but suddenly I identified with her, seen myself in her.

I still love to study and always loved it.

When did I begin liking, then loving to study?

It begun perhaps with books with folklore stories, or later, with the diary I begun to write of my life and sentiments, with my connection with the writers and speaking back, sometimes writing back on the side of the page to them.

It continued when suddenly at 18 in the tyrannous communist regime of Romania, I was forbidden to apply to university, to continue my studies. Of course, I did not stop studying!

I studied alone, not going to the University. Along with working, I did continued to study. Even give exams twice a year.

Until I was forbidden even that.

Then I continued to study even more hours a day, learn languages, read books and theatre in French and English too, not only Hungarian and Romanian.

I was old, 43 years past when I went 'back to school' in Paris and got, finally a doctorate in physics, without stopping to work or to love to do research.

I did study when I met my first Toastmasters group, and later, discovering the world of Personal Computing. At 76 next month, I still cannot imagine stopping to study. Reading, underlying, writing, and nowadays again telling the story too.

How many things this image that I found this morning between the 100 preferred images of my 40 000 flickr pictures did evoke to me, suddenly! Every pictures speaks and this told me all that I wrote this morning without stopping.

Connemara 2007

There was an eventul and interesting trip, three years ago - also I should have learned not to go with someone quiet different from me.

I looked at the picture taken of her at the begining and towards the end: what a difference! I smile now, but I suffered a bit then of our differences and of what I felt as very selfish behaviour.

A lot younger then me, she took her portable computer with her but almost never let me use it or post my images through it. From time to time, I found a cybercafe but also there she had no will to stay enough for me to work. Plus, she wanted big meals, fancy hotels, at least more expensive then me.

And drove bad but paniqued often when I did drive,

But we have see quite a lot of West Ireland together, what a beautiful place and nice people too!

Revisiting Ireland of 2007

I expose on the Web from today morning on, at that occasion I found some of my three year old photos - 40 of them - from my trip to Ireland.


So good to revisit old places and memories - from the armchair!

I tryed an I-pad

I have seen an I-pad and was stunned by some of its new features.

I tried it, yesterday and found it wanting.

It does not do what I need it to do.

Not change pictures, not use my flickr website because it refuses Flash, and even if it is supposed to have a French keybord too, it does not have accents.

Yes, it is funny to be able to inverse a picture, it is nice to be able to make bigger a print only by extending our fingers, it seemed to only a future interesting gimmic, something we will use everywhere soon, anyway.

No, I do not want that I-PAD until it does what I need it to do.

Trio by rhutabaga from flickr

Why does something fascinates us suddenly?

They are for sure logic reasons to it, and some we could find when we begin to think about it, but the fascination comes from gut-level and does not pass, at least first through our brain, but through our senses, somewhere deep inside us.

This picture, taken by one of my flickr colleagues did appeal to me instantly and it still does.

Yes, the color is warm, yes it 'fills the screen, yes they look at me, us, but there must be something more.

Why do we have instant sympathies also with some of the people we meet and with others, at the first instants we feel something false and dangerous lurking? Do we answer to body language instead of words or are some special weaves coming to us suddenly?

More I look to this three cows that we could more feel then see in fact more I am attracted. And look again.

I met once a man that interested me, yet at the same time I felt 'danger, false, something lurking behind him. I have to admit, I decided that it does not matter, that if I can I want him anyway, that it is worth.

Was it?

He did prove false at the end but I had wonderful days, month with him - we did live together three years. He was not the one I thought also he was the one I felt he may be with my instinct that I let not reign because I was fascinated by the rest.

I had many happy moments, I had many disappointments, I had some awful times, too. I do not regret it today: I lived. I loved, I had someone to hold my hands as we walk, I had someone to hold me fast as we slept, I had for a while someone I was happy to be with.

Yes, he also proved using, abusing me, as he did with all around him in his life, but no, looking back from afar, I do not remember strongest the worse moments with him but the bests.

He made me feel young again, at 50.

Writing workshop leader

Long time ago, in fact "just" five years, but to me it seems now like in another life.

In fact, it was another life.

I was trying to make known my Dialries and went to an Autobiographic convention where we had some workshops, between others a writing workshop.

She was leading the workshop.

I do not remember a lot about the event, but this morning, someone came to discover an image, I took from a collection of old journals, dating from 1911. Yes, that is even farther on,

I know everything is the title of the old magazine which I discovered in an old books store and bought for almost nothing the collection. The writing was interesting but even more the images from the magazine.

Here is one of them.

It is old, yet somehow it is actual too, for me, that time when I discovered them, read them, 25 years ago, somehow seems nearer to me then 5 years ago - strange, is not it?

I have opened a group on flickr who is called People Reading, towards the beginning of 2005 and I am still collecting pictures for it, so many people had since added great pictures they have taken of people reading in our group! I even made a gallery with some of them.

Speaking with hands

I learned a lot from taking photos and look differently around me now, see more then before having begun, almost 9 years ago.

I just begin to realize how much did I learn and change also from the public speaking community and storytelling. Like most of them, perhaps now I could say us, I do use a lot more my hands too when I speak.

My face has already spoke much, often too much and even without my knowledge, I knew it even if I could not control it, my voice also but that depends a lot to whom I speak. I did not realise till now how much the hands and fingers speak too.

Yes, it is all the body speaking, but the hands the arms play a great part of it. Once you begun, you use larger gestures not only in public but also in private speaking and conversation.

More and more.