Holding hands (etc) at any age

It is never too late to find your dreams, to realise them!

Yesterday, I prepared my story about "Family" (my fathers tale's influence on me 30 years later). The underlining point is the importance of story to transmit wisdom and how it is done inside generations in my family

Today is the time to improve my "Desire" story.
We have so many different desires!

I still hesitate between two stories:

1: Desire to perform, childhood desire realised after 74, I already told it at the rehearsal) or

2: Desire to dance again and hold hands and kiss again, realised after I was 55

I will prepare today both, even if I tell only one of them in Edinburgh, I could use the other later. Both carry the same message: Never too late, do not give up on your dreams.

Un-rooted

One of the most impressive scenes for me, from the opening of Olympics - what a great job on decor! is the slow uprooting of a gigant tree.

Signifying then the unrooting of many rural people at the begining of the industrial age.

For me, it was different.

I thought of all of us, who had to leave one place and go live to another. My first, was at 14, going away from the place I was used to, my beloved town Kolozsvar, (now Cluj Napoca), to the capital. It felt as the most difficult one.

After, from Bucarest, Romania emigrating, with almost nothing with us. No, no! I had my daughter inside me, I was not alone! A secret I took through without declaring, at the customs. My father was also with me, but my mother died as we waited for two years for our passport.

Then, many other uprooting came, and I did not feel it like loosing something, rather then gaining new experience, discovering new cultures, new adventures.

With time, one goes with more and more courage, even if there is a apprehension, like before we go on stage.

So many impressions

This is one of the modern England or Easr End of it. But not only East London.

It could be also my grand son, who does it every occasion he can. He also reads books. A lot of them, so does not do it only on computer.

The Industrial era behind us, up to us now to use wisely what we do have now.

Londres Games 2012

What a wonderful spectacle!

As a reporter from TV told this morning: it was indeed a great piece of storytelling!" But the realisation was stunning also not just the ideas.

It was worth to wait so long to begin and to the end for finish. Me and it seems 28 million of us looked at BBC1 (or news or as my family in their Macintosh) to follow it.

Danseurs à l'heure bleu

Colours, movements. Music and lots of people. The London games begun!

great meeting of London Trustmasters, most from Northern Trust, a new Toastmasters club organised by Assian Leadership group.

It is open to all and already has members from diverse communities.

First meeting yesterday, it is important always the first.

We will also remember the first speech, of that first meeting, by Lydia, who also worked so hard for all to become reality. All the way from China, her son already imitating German accent, and for sure very Londonian, she is now bringing together, people from different cultures, and make known the Assian.

Looking forward to many more speech, tales - she has so many to tell!

London is a great place to diversity, and I am so happy I,came here, 4 years ago.

Technology craft - from Ted.com

To dismantle, reverse engineering "the tinkering ecosystem" in Asia, Africa, and many other parts of the world. Technology crafts, emerging. Informal educational system, taught locally. The silicon cottage industry. Multimedia learning informal school. A mobile phone, a flash-light, mini-speakers. Little lunch-box. Tinkering with it. Examples from India.

True Tales

True personal tales have to be happened to me or related closely to me. They have to be true, but a story is a story and not going before a judge. You can cut from it, add some to it, change names if it remains true to the real story as it happened, as you see it now, as it tell a truth about yourself and the world.

True stories in Edinburgh I will tell will have different themes each day.

1. Family - that will be about a tale my father told me, it happened to him 90 year ago, it affected my life at 43 when I was preparing my first public speech appearance, for my PhD - a funny story I think but also telling clearly the importance of a storytelling on our life

2. Home - You realise the importance of home (or many other things) when you have to leave it, loose it. That will be the story of how the war caught up with me when I was ten years old.

3. Unexpected. A story of unexpected striptease and its consequences on my life. How one humorous speech can affect another and at the end how I see the life today.

4. Desire. There are different desires (not just sexual) and I will tell the story of my desire to become a writer, to be on the stage and how it become, years later, desire of the audience with which I fall in love.

5. Culture Choc. This is the story I am not sure yet, as I had so many in my life. Which to relate? Perhaps when I fell first into a Standup Comedy Workshop? I am still playing with few ideas.

Spark London Storytelling in Independent

Everybody's talking about...Spark London Storytelling

  A great paper to be read in the Independent Website, about Spark London Storytelling and our presence on the fringe of Edinburgh. We will tell true tales at day after day

Riddles Court, Edinburgh

from 4 to 15th August

I will be on the beginning with 5 different tales for 5 days

 

Happy mother - accepts hat for a moment

How happy one can be in life!

If only for a few moments.

The work and care for a child begins day on and it never finishes. We care differently for the one day old or the ten years old or the 40 years one.

We do care.

Here, she accepts her daughter hat for a moment all in joy. I am so happy I could catch that moment of joy, that moment of playfulness!

She did and does still so much for her daughter (daughters) and grand children too. For a moment it is she who feels celebrated.

She deserves is so much!

As we should be also celebrated at the birthday of our children! So happy she came from France and participated at the wonderful hall of the Royal Festival Hall to her daughter graduation ceremony!

London is ready

Soon, lots and lots of tourists will arrive in London, and they have lots too see!

I love strolling through the footbridges over Thames and along the both sides of the river.

Here, an image from my set Southwark Bridge blue hour. From Canon Street I walked through the bridge to Zizzi italian restaurant.

Strange names, when you know other language, in French for exemple, this name "zizi" means something I would not prononce.

"I am a Lady after all!"

Photographing the bred

I am not the only one who is photographic in our familly.

Here are the hands of the other grand mother, hands looking older then she.

So many things those hands know to do! Working in the garden, kitchen, accounting, knitting, and of course, as here, taking digital photos.

The other members of family are also taking photos often, and even more often using the computers, laptops, and so on.

Ours, is a family in "digital age".

Freshly baked bred for grand ma

Most interesting?

It seems those are the most interesting between... Now 50000 images

That woman is a succes

who loves life

and lives it at the fullest

who has discovered and shared

the strength and talents

that are uniquely her own

who puts her best into each task

and leaves each situation

better then she found it

who seeks and finds

that which is beautiful

in all people and all things

whose heart is full of compassion

who has found joy in living

and peace within herself

Together

It is good to be able to take a picture of all together. To have memories of the trip to London.

One of them was taking in photo the other two, when I offered to take them together.

Of course, with their camera.

Then, after two pictures, I asked if I can also take one of them, and as it can be seen from this, they were happy to do so.

I have great communication with so many people, why can I not have with all? Perhaps I am not able to learn, how to put some on my side, as sometimes I have difficulty to express myself. I go with others propositions, and feel so frustrated when it is not returned.

Well, life is up and down.

Let hope, from Thursday, will be up for me. At least, for a while.

That was in 2007

I was proud of my smile, I could laugh "with all teeth" there.

Apparently, of course, as three of those where not my "original" ones.

Today, I am am happy there are no more there!

After a week of teeth that moved, a week of eating soup and youghurt, mostly, I can go to dentist, to ask to fix them again. Put back so I could smile again, as the French say with "plein dents".

Who would have believed of joys of part of my teeth falling! Not me. And soon, I will be able to make some joke of it. As it was because of a morning baguette that all this happened.

Cannon Street to Southwark by bridge

Panorama by walking through the Southwark bridge. At six, afternoon, it was yet light, day.

After family gathering, chart and pizza, for me auberginne, I came back in the blue hour.

The Canon street station was closed.

The route Wonderfull, till the station. But the bank station send me on long corridors, stairs, other corridors, and finally arrived to London Bridge. Other corridors to train. Then bus.

Arrived home very tired, but with great photos. Check them out on Flickr, slideshow!

2007 comming home - oh, I forgot

so proud of my "new" four teeth a few years ago!

why they do not last?

I know why

I forget sometimes my age

I forget that I can not any more eat like before

I forget not to bite like when I was young

I forget - I would so much like to be able to do it! - that next week I will no more be even 77 but more with a year

the life the nature the teeth (or eyes or bones or) do not let me forget, even if inside me I feel still so young!

those teeth give me problems now, for the last three days they do not behave, but being a comedian is great, I have new material now!

Already I wrote some of it down, when I felt the most miserable, and it took some of the edge!

Bite or not to bite

It is not always easy to eat when old.

The teeth are not a given for us at all age, alas. I knew I can not bite in a whole apple, any more from age of 60, almost if not yet 20 year ago.

Well, yesterday, I learned that I can't byte in a  peach either.

And today, I had a root canal treatment, in an other part of my mouth. To bite, is still far away for me.

Katy, first day President

She begun to work already as President a while ago, but tonight will be the first meeting she will open and close as the President of our Club at Lewisham Speakers.

I am so relived I am no more president, as I was eager a year ago to become one. I leave the club in very good hands. And step farther.

I am not yet sure where my own road will lead, other then of course leaving healthy clubs in my new Area behind me in a year.

I think, my personal ambition is now to make an hour long show, or a few 20 minutes one's. Storytelling combined with humour. Trying to delight difference audiences and stretch myself a bit farther on.

No more titles and no more special responsabilities after that are important as my love affaire.

My love affaire with the public, my pals who love to perform and speak and make laugh as I do, helping those who want to progress, too.

More important then titles, posts, diplomas, contest, whatever else. And of course, experience the same time the best as some worst places, to be able to appreciate the formers.

David Jones again coaches

This month, we will be taking again three afternoon classes, well evening in fact, but with David, winner of so many Toastmasters Contest, it will be in fact three full weeks of work.

He has already given us a lot of homework, which I begun to do, I have never seen someone so devoted to his workshop atendees!

Not only he called each of us up, asking what we need from this follow up standup comedy class of July, but also prepared and send us already homework.

I am looking forward to this month, as I know, again, he will push me farther to my limit, as he does with all of others too. It will become an enjoyable month and make me forget my birthday, that I would like to push away.

Soho Original Books

Soho Stories was a great event with lots of responsive audience and interesting true tales.

Going outside, I realised, it is Soho as I imagined once, with small restorants, and a Sex Shop, accross Foyles bookshop.

Diversity continues in Soho.

Soho story continues to write itself. There is something for all.