Anniversary

My son joking

I got to tell my grand children, and repeat to my son, his birth, 46 years ago.

My grand daughter and daughter in law prepared a wonderful cake, with nuts and banana inside, for the occasion, and we did taste it at my place.

It is stunning how much my 13 year grand daughter grew up, and how fast she is now changing from small child to adolescent!

In my time, I have developed a lot slower, I think even at 16 was not up to how she is now, perhaps because the war and its deprivations but it could be it is also how the nature is, some develop faster, others slower.

Julie 15 year old

Such a pleasure to look to my two grand children and see them growing and developing!

Speaking two languages with ease, and having them not far, even if now they are no more "next door"..

Today, I still have a slice of the cake she left me, yesterday I ate the second one, or is it the other way around?

I can not publish pictures from my grand children, so here is one from my son and me, when I was adolescent.

Speak outside Toastmasters

Of course, no one goes to Toastmasters - or not many - to speak at the end he or she learned to speak in public, inside the club.

The club is great to learn, to experiment, to screw up, to have feedback, and make pals.

Recently we had a Webinar about "speak outside toastmasters".

I begun in fact to speak outside my club, three years ago, as my Icebreaker was as Mystery speaker in an unknown club at an Evaluation Contest.

After speaking in different clubs and audiences, I have discovered Spark London True Tales event held once a month at the Canal Cafee Theatre, near Little Venice, a great venue and paid audience of about 60, each time full.

Johanna, its organizer took me after that to different other venues, one more intriguing then the other, which culminated with a "pro" storytelling event at the Manchester Townhall before 400+ audience.

Brixton's Ritch True Tales gave me other venue, an open mic event, for telling my tales in a more noisy environment. New skills to learn each time.

After my Comedy Workshops, I am now after my 12 or so Stand Up comedy event and booked for more. The stand up gives new challenges and great responding audiences.

Creating Workshop, yet another challenge.

Yes, I did get out and now I will have to teach also others to do so.

Dancing in the rain

Dancing in the rain.

She is not Kelly, dancing of joy of love. She danced French Can Can, near Paris, in her heart and body the love of dancing.

Then the rain begun, more and more strong. All around people went to hide or put on umbrellas to continue looking.

The girls did not stop their dance.

Some dances with more care, not to slip on the humid surface. Others continued as if nothing has happened.

This girl spine went even higher, her head prouder, her steps more determined.

It was an fantastic memory, and I asked a lady to permit me to take a picture from under her umbrella (I did not bring one) and she let me.

This is a detail of the original picture, suggested by one of the 2500 who had looked at it on Flickr. What a joy is that we can show our pictures and have a permanent expo. This picture taken in 2005 May, come out yesterday, as yet another favorited, chosen, the original picture. Each time, it is a great joy and pleasure for me to remember. Bad weather, tough times, always offer a "good story", in storytelling, stand up comedy or photography!

Comedy in Tooting Blue hour

Great evening at Prince of Wales pub (this is accross) yesterday!

We arrived early, had a great simple dinner. Me, fish and chips and great green peas, and yeah, even a pudding with custard and a small cup of Irish bear, Helen a chilli con carne.

Great Compère! He did make a great atmosphere! and choose well who comes after whom.

I opened!

When you are great, and the audience great, it is not difficult, finally.

About 50 in all listened, the audience was warm and responsive, and I got laud and long laughs!

Diary received the 25 Dec 1944

This is how it started, me documenting my life, and telling what happened around me.

In the middle of the war, among the snippers falling on our house, writing in the basement where we were hidden.

My mother offering me a diary that probably she baught a long way back, to incite me to write and speak less to those around us, from whom we had secrets we could not tell.

A few lines from time to time, speaking of what went on around me.

I never stopped writing. Now, 67 years of diaries, more or less distance between each time I wrote, in some beautiful notebooks or small very modest ones. I kept on writing, I keep on writing.

Nowadays, more and more in my blogs, in my stories, my gigs, but still, some still goes in the last diary.

I discovered Phil Kaye and "Teeth" this morning

Phil Kaye, "Teeth"
Japonaise mother, Jewish American father, poet, storyteller, listen to him telling it in such a touching way, my eyes were wet after I listened the second time around

He told a story in Middebury Ted conference "why we tell stories" - one of his answer is "to feel alive" but of course, there is so much more in it!

Cavendish Arms 2012

Good begining, after one month absence, because operation.

Not only I succeeded again to make the audience laugh and have good contact with them, but I did that, after having cut my shoking beginning.

No more swear words and still laugh from the begining.

It is so strange how different audience laugh more (or less) at different parts!

We had good numeros, gigs and great audience yesterday at Cavendish Arms, and I was invited to come back soon!

Walking

Walking is also a way to annonce who you are.

How you view yourself in the world.

The way you move, how you occupy a space, tells other people a good deal aout you, tells them how they should think about you.

It is important.

So think about that before you enter on a stage too.

30 hours in Limerick

180 photos probably too much to look at, click choose, enjoy.

A few years ago, my dream to go to Irealand was realized and we landed near Limerick. Rented a car for ten days and went to our little Bread and Breakfast house, where we stayed two nights. But we went out to discovery as soon as we landed.

The first walk, the first pub, the first friendly people!

Next day, we went to discover Limerick and we spend an eventtful day there, too.

After Limerick, we went on to discover Clare County of which I have read so much. But it is only ten days later, going back, that we discovered a small village and pub very like that on my book from Nora Roberts.

We did not get well with each other, the lady from New York with more money to spend and me, with more dare to speak with people around us, but what a wonderful journey up the coast to Galloway, and later towards the lakes.

I came home, not liking any more my trip compagnion but loving Ireland, its diversity and its people. A bit less, its narrow and rainy roads.

Two weeks passed

Two weeks passed now, I was operated for cataract, just two weeks ago.

Long two weeks!

For me at seamed long, the road to heal seems long, from where I am now, even if I do believe that "all goes well".

I am on the road to light (for the moment too much light) and the road of clearer vision too.

I can read! I can from tonight, sleep without something on my right eye.

"It is only two weeks" told me the GP yesterday, it is normal you still feel it. It is normal... it has been only two weeks!

Sometimes, two weeks seem long.

Life goes on

One can not "win" every time, but life goes on, and on, whatever happens, is for some reasons.

Oxford Street

Soho is near Oxford street, so I was there today.

No one came at our meeting, but I did wait, three hours almost.

Came back, with some images and decided not to go far for a Heat organised by someone who did not even cancel.

So, something good came out of it. The glass is not half empty but half full.

Petit dej française

Oberkamp café in Paris, great fresh croissants and a very good expresso,

even if it was 5 years ago!

when it is good and fresh, there are great!

And so different breakfast then the one with tea in England. Tea with milk, was absurdity for me, before I tasted it here, now I like it, even if the good expresso and frech croissant is still...

Best of "London" tagged pic tures ?

I am not sure if those 20 are the best, but they are the "most interesting" according to Flickr standard between my pictures taken in London.

Very English Tea!

One English countryside with Rachel and Andy, and their warm welcoming.

I felt so much in three days!

One morning, they took me to a small shop, where we had tea, and that was at the table next to us. It was the first time I have seen a cattle covered so it keeps warm.

Thanks Andy and Rachel to warm my heart even after so many month!

A cup of café

I do not understand myself the interest in a photo I have taken, this one is one exemple.

Yesterday, 54 people looked at it, in all already more then 6000 and it was "favorited" by 42 already.

Why this and not others?

I remember so well the day, near the St Lazar train station, waiting outside a coffee house, drinking it, experimenting for almost the first time with "point focus" and "point exposure".

Suddenly the street that my eyes had before it disapeared and only this cup remained. I was thinking of a photo by Andre Kertesz, with a knife and said myself, why not?

And my friend's daughter arrived late, I had time to experiment.

Dawn

Another beautiful dawn this morning, at seven thirty , just now, outside.

I begin to see again!

Well, not complectly "open" yet, still some fog on one eye, but it is getting a lot better.

Plus, yesterday I was quite happy with my speech, even if I had to rush the ending. So much to say, and seven minutes is so short. But the idea of Joke / Real story behind the joke / Yes, wisdom is to use past and by doing it it becomes less oppressive, is a great idea to use to other exemples too.

Self portrait mid december

of course, the photographer's pictrure is a "beautiful" one, and this looks a lot more "nature" but I feel it is even more "me"

I both, I open big eyes

I cannot do it for the moment, as it is only three days after cataract operation, and even if it is an "easy" one relatively, it is still an operation and has to heal

it will, soon, I know, even if it seems long hours, I already see better then yesterday and it hurts a lot less, only sometimes do I "feel" I have an eye

Brick lane and market

that was taken three years ago, today it is too early for me to return yet, but the Meetup group "we shood people" is going and shooting, street photography is great!

After the operation, still here

Jane Fonda talk on Ted about the new "third age" and how she feels now that she is "in" it,
how all changed but not yet the perception of the "old" that are thought still "decrepit" and in fact, one feels happier, more free and the third, "act" can also bring closure.

And yes, we can always have the power "how we take" what happens to us, how we repond to a situation

Everybody can...

Everybody can who speaks can sing!

A great TedX speech by Naomi Susan Isaacs, and it applies to me as in my young ages I was told I cannot. .

Everybody can tell stories!

Even more, then singing, in my opinion, ar as much, the stories are in us and we all tell stories. To ourself, to others one to one or in group.

Telling a story in face of a big group is even more energizing. Sharing our stories, offering them to become others experience. To  use them in their life. Begin to tell stories!

Different "faces" and expressions

Just a few here for this blog, while waiting that my Cataract operation go through, Friday morning.

My thoughts are wondering to it and back again to everyday and to which of those would be better to be used next time.

It is a pity, I can not have someone, take a few good shots at one of my Stand Ups!

Similar but different

The reflet in the water ressembles the original, but it will become different, depending of the wind, the light, the sun.

The story about what happened changes also, "the past changes" depending on our mood, the audience and the place we tell it.

One photo, can also tell different things to different people, but even to me, in different times!

Journal 25 Dec 1944

A new year begins, and I wish all of you a very happy New Year 2012!

This is how it all begun for me.

The story of my "recorded" life, begun some years ago, in Budapest, Hungary, with my first recordings at age ten, the first Christmas, a war time, in my first diary.

From then on, I never stopped long time, to record, document, how I felt, what happened, to be able to discover later how I changed. To express myself.

Now, it would be 67 years already that I continue to do it. Writing in diary, writing short stories, writing in the blog, telling short stories, or even Stand Up and telling one line or one paragraphe stories all flows from one to the other.

We have to begin and persist only. And if something changes, go with the flow.