Speakers corner

Yesterday, at the Toastmasters meeting, I was TopicMaster, and we did play "Hyde park speakers corner" inside the pub. It was fun!

I asked the present people imagine we were at the Speakers corner, step up, speak louder, get used to eventual interruptions, try to retain people to listen, tell personal stories about the objects or topics I gave them.

It was too much to ask.

But some did. Others, spoke louder, indeed. In all, we had fun!

The best compliment I got, was from a guest who did not want to speak, and I not ask her out. After the meeting, she told me "if I knew it will be so much fun, so easy, I would have spoken too, I regret I did not do it."

So my idea did work, even if I could have introduced more every object I gave them to speak about, or reminded them again and again, (I did sometimes) "we are at Hyde park speakers corner" not a Toastmasters meeting!

Anything can happen, anyone can interrupt you, mock you, or even worse, go away... You have to handle all of that, whatever it comes. But I asked only one or two very accomplished Toastmasters to be interrupted. And they were a lot less then us, at the park.

I loved how we could learn to handle people interrupting us, and will have once to play it again, better, so that we all learn how to handle it.

Jay from China

We come to London from so many different places!

Jay come seven years ago from China.

I do not think the "real" Brits understand what that means, how difficult must still be nowadays, and it was even more so before, to go away from a still Communist country! Not the "far away" and even not the huge amount of money it takes, because salaries are a lot less then here, but to obtain the right to travel and to have the courage to decide to go.

I did meet her at Hyde park corner, she is a Toastmaster too. I do not know much about her yet, but as we did decide to take a photowalk, soon, I'll know her better then. But already I can imagine so much!

And you can see from this photo above what a nice person she is!

Yesterday, I went to a Storytelling event, personal Storytelling. Only one, a young girl, also of Chinese origin, told us a story, the others read it. There were interesting and well written, but more literally then oral stories.

Not what I have expected, hoped for.

The public sit around tables in the dark, the tellers, there were eight of them, on a podium, and their tale was recorded, only their voice, no movements. But they did not move and few looked to us. Reading stories is interesting, but when one expects "telling"....

I was invited to tell (read) also a story, the next one is about "Now or never." That made me to think, of my "now or never" tales, but of course unless I'll take about Breakups, "There is always yet another chance!" Still, I remembered stories about my life and new memories come up to the surface.

Do I want to perform before a paying audience who sits in the dark? Just seven minutes? It would be a challenge of course, but 5 October it too early to prepare!

Hyde park speakers corner

What an adventure!

Going out on the Hyde Park speaker's corner, to test our courage to speak, the volume of our voice and how we continue despite possible interruptions.

We passed all that test!

We did have our interrupter, our public having also their say, and our voice was heard by those stopping to listen to us, despite the buses, taxis and cars passing not far from us.

What a fun and great adventure!

Our first table topics master, to Break the Ice, had come with different vegetables about which each of us had to begin to speak. I spoke about Aubergine. Others of green pepper or the leek: I did not know this last was a symbol for the Welsh until now.

The beginning of Mat's speech (VP Education of Meridiam speakers club.)

And perhaps, they did not learn how to prepare the Aubergines until I told them.

Mostly, I told what I was prepared to do, about remaining young at old age inside, and telling them to do the same, but also what I was not prepared at all, about how drinking too much can kill and how it did kill my husband.

You have to tell what is true, but no one has to tell "all the truth" so I did not tell that he was at 52 when he died already "ex" husband, and only my "first ex".... that not being relevant of our subject at all.

He did drink, towards the end more then 6 litres of vine, by day, alas and it is true that his liver did not take it well. He died so young! I told that to our drunk young listener, who was otherwise a wonderful mime too, contributing to the adventure we had speaking outside, speaking in the park, speaking for those who did not have to stop or stay if they did not want to.

Broadgate speakers club, had a great idea, I hope, my clubs will do one day the same. It was a memorable day!

The old woman and the Death - Hungarian folk tale

Death and the very old woman

Once upon a time, far away, at the other end of the mountain and the ocean, there lived a very old woman. Almost a hundred years old! She was always doing something, lots of things, never stopping, all day long occupied so much that she did not even had the time to think of death.

But the time come, nearer and nearer, and finally there he was, the Death arrived at her door.

- Well, old woman, you lived enough, now pack up and come!

- Oh, Death, dear nice death, I am just not ready, let me wait until I finish this!

- Impossible! What to wait? I take you now!

- Oh, give ma ten years, five years, at least... one more year!

- Out of question!

- Give me at least one day, only yet another day.

- Impossible! answered the Death.

- Three hours more then... let me remain at least until tomorrow!"

Well, what he could do,said the Death to himself, so much the old woman argumed, pleaded, ah, she spoke so well! Finally the Death was persuaded "let's give her a bit more time to finish what she was doing".

- Well, until tomorrow then.

- Dear Death, my memory is not so good, my eyes see less, please write on the door with big letters: "I'll come Tomorrow!"

The Death wrote on her door in huge letters "I'll come Tommorow" and left.

The old woman went to bed and lay more relaxed. But too soon, the next day arrived and the Death was back.

- So, old woman, I am back to take you! But now, not a word! You come with me!

- Oh, Death, just look at my door! There it is written clearly, that you"ll come only tomorrow!

Aie, the Death reads: on the door it was really written "I'll come only tomorrow".

Death went away and come back, day after day, for seven days, until he had enough. I am not coming back again! he said and cleaned off the words from the door.

- Now you come with me!

- Oh, give me at least one more hour!

- Well, if you have lived so far, I can give you another hour, to live. I'm leaving, but after an hour I come back, and I take you for sure!

The Death went away and the old woman begun shaking like a leaf. Everything rattled, her bones and remaining teeth. Oh, how to get out of this, what to do now, where to hide?

She had a barrel of honey and slipped inside it. But there was a hole on the bottom: that's not good. "If I can see out of it and see him, he will see me to, he'll find me. So she scrambled out of the honey barrel, and decided to hide inside her quilt, she tore her feather kilt and hid inside it. Even her hair, everything become fluffy the feather clinging to the honney.

Will that be good enough?

The Death arrived.

- Where are you, old woman?

Looked around the house. He did not find her anywhere.

The feathers clinging on the honey, the old woman was covered with them on her face, her hair, everywhere and could not breath any more so she rose out of kilt, rose suddenly from the bed. The Death was so frightened of hte feathered Monster rosing from the bed seeming bigger and bigger, that he ran away. He ran and ran far away, accross the mountains and the ocean, and he never again dared to return to take the old woman.

Impro night for London Toastmasters

Asst Div B Gov (PR), the new Editor The London Speaker, Dorothea Stuart, and her friend, Toastmasters from the Riverside Communicators.

The London Speaker blog gives a lot of advice what to see and what to do in London for Toastmasters and those wanting to improve their speaking skills.

How much work there is to organize, to write, to visit!

As the day before I was late, this time I was too early - two hours to early! Other then Dorothea and the team that was to perform, no one was there yet when I arrived.

I was extremely well impressed that they did not put me out, but welcomed me nerveless! Sign also of Toastmaster organisation's welcome, but even more her personal one!

I love how all Toastmasters speak also with their hands!

I also met the organizer of the Early Birds speakers, they begin at 7 in the morning week after week! Yes, I'll have to go in the city so early, and soon!

Great performers who learned "on the spot" - also one of them already took a lot of Impro classes, I met him at one of them when I tried to see "how it is"!
Here, at the pause, three of the new "vedettes":

But the others were "new" to this and very good!

We had good time, even if I did not learn what I did need, how to speak on the spot for our Table-topics Competition, and that was what I hoped when I went to Camden.

It rained. It was cold.

But the mood in the room was great and the people I met were well worth the trembling in the night after the event.

I found a bus that took me to Trafalgar Square, a train towards home came very fast, it was only while waiting for the buses that I felt the cold wind of fall on me.

I arrived home with new decisions and yes, I'll also go this Sunday to the Hyde Corner event. When I read first about those speeches, I never imagined I'll try one day to speak there, myself!

Why those one?

On the flickr photo site, I have by now around 33 000 pictures, added from 2005 to now.

Anyone, can "choose" those he or she likes "most" between them. Looking through what the other photographers (or anyone registered on flickr) choose as their favorietes, I have difficulty to understand "why" it was those most of them did.

An interesting face - this one I do understand!



4th of favorite, 2nd in Interstingness
43 fav and 4587 views and 64 comments

it is also my favourite one, personally - is is extracted from a big image, looking at that I suddenly have seen what is hiding and cannot be seen if I did not "bring it out" cut all that is around and hiding this strong human look

3. Chanel a Argenteuil

52 fav, 1870 view and 63 comments
It was published in the Argenteuil newpaper, the week of elections, with a page about my photographic activity, I do not like it as much as I did then. I was waiting for the reporter to arrive and meet me near the station, when suddenly I have seen this, happy I had the camera in my hand.

2. Aie! they will see you...

63 fav 3494 views and 76 comments

Probably also because it was elected best autoportrait of the year, far away, when I did publish it, I do not really see other reason... perhaps because I am ready to mock myself?

1. La Maison Rose du Butte Montmartre



277 fav, 19 380 view and 63 comments
and it goes on week by week, I still do not understand why!

Early morning

Welcome!

It is now "mine" this apartment.

Not in a sense that I am the owner, but I feel "home" in it. As I do feel now, after 12 month passed, home in England too. In London. In Blackheath.

Home between so many Brit speaking so many kind of English, with so different accents each. Home in the diversity of people I enjoy so much. Home between the photographers and Toasmasters.

Home as much that yesterday I did stay home all day.

Welcome in my home.