Why? Suddenly, in two days...

Suddenly, a photo I have taken fast, from a moving car, a moving woman stopping the morning traffic to let kids pass, becomes a "bestseller" on the web. In Flickr Explorer, a special place where the days "bests photos of the day" are found, from yesterday.

31.000 visits 103 photographers chose it like their "favorite" so far.

It also gave me ten new "followers" and offer to add it to the group called Explore.

Why this one? Product of a moment I wanted to conserve, product of my need to prove I was outside, just before I had to go up the stairs again and stay home. Hours, days. Often, many days.

A wonderful surprise, and a great pleasure, any way.

It also, suddenly gave me a huge number of hits, more then 35 000 yesterday, that I realised only this morning, looking at my "Recent Activity" on Flickr. Thanksgiving day.

Thanks to my now, more then eight million visitors for my photos, more then 8 million hits, in fact by now, in the last 9 years, since I started publishing my images on the web, under the name "joyoflife" or "julie70" on Flickr.

For each photo, I give tags, a title, some description most of the time, arrange it in an album that goes in a collection of certain theme. Add the bests of the day to a few groups, with similar themes. That makes a good pass time and a great way to connect also, day by day.

Yesterday I was preoccupied by a meeting with my division toastmasters leaders team, and did not look A lot, just realised ten more chose me as contact and looked at their photos but without knowing why, so this morning, it was a great surprise. another picture in Explorer!

Millions of photos are uploaded daily from all over the world on Flickr, and I never understood how and why one photo wind up there, but there are usually stunning ones! Having yet another on it is an honour.

A Toastmasters Podcasts on public speaking from Helsinki

It's time to shine

Oscar Santolalla, from Peru, now living in Finland. 

"I joined Toastmasters in 2011.

I've been listening to podcasts a lot for the past years, in several topics including: economics, Product Management, entrepreneurship, comedy, football, and others. audiobooks. 

Summer 2014 I started with the idea of creating my own podcast. One day I made the decision to do it, and two months later I was launching (first the 17th October). 

I chose public speaking as my topic, and I decided that I would interview experienced people who would be willing to share their experience and ideas. 

I wish to connect public speakers with people who are learning, so everybody can shine. Its time to shine."

Oscar contacted me first through Facebook, then interviewed me first through email, then through Skype. 

His interviews of around 20 minutes are very interesting.

Links to episodes (until now):

01 Oili Valkila: Oili Valkila: Overcoming stage fright | Time to Shine Podcast

02 Garry Parker: Garry Parker: Communication skills for entrepreneurs | Time to Shine Podcast

03 Jerzy Zientkowski: Jerzy Zientkowski: Why you don’t need self confidence on stage. A lesson from the IT guy | Time to Shine

04 Florian Mueck: Florian Mueck: PlusPlus feedback and other rhetorical adventures | Time to Shine

05 Julie Kertesz: Julie Kertesz: Never too old to learn something new | Time to Shine Podcast

Let's be prepared for the "chance"

2008 April. On the route with my car taking my grand daughter to photographie birds on Seine.

Suddenly, tulips on the middle of the road.

"Mamie, stop! I would like to take photos of those!"

I just offered a camera for her 9th birthday. Stop, in the middle of the road, with four even if small and relatively quiet streets around? Where?

"OK, I'll stop, I'll stop, as soon as I find where to leave the car."

A small field, offered a place for the car, and we went careful, hand by hand to the flower arrangement in the middle of the roads. Each of us with our camera. I was first more fascinated with my grand daughter taking careful one flower ofter other and making macro photos of each.

Then, I move a bit and see this quiet street. Click.

Just a second later a car passed. Click.

This photo was taken at the "decisive moment", and become one the most favourited on flickr.

Of course, I had to stop in the middle of the road, I had to get there, I had to be ready for it. Ready for the unexpected, for the non prepared, ready and flexible.

In photography, preparing the next speech or story, or meeting the "one" that will count in our life, it is important to be ready and open for what will arrive.

Back on the saddle

The 7 November, gigging again.

Yes, I broke my leg and feet in 5 places almost seven month ago and I had to make a pause. The pause was only in delivery not in creating jokes.

Frustrations, bad situations, mishaps offer the best occasion to jokes, so I do have now a lot of new material in my repertoire.

Of course, I have to try them out, not only on one or two, which I did, all along, but the audience of comedy clubs.

In seven month, the only place I gigged was BBC1 The One Show, where I proved I can make laugh and I can remember my lines and take out from the bag of jokes one or another as requested. More, to link it to something I just heard a minute before my tour come. Now, in New Cross, I am on again, and looking forward to it.

Well, my comeback will be in December, not November - my broken leg and strained knee did not want yet to take me up the stairs yet.

Wonderful division contest, great audience! very strong competitors

Division K Governor of Toastmasters UK South District, closing the division Contest.

16 speakers competitors in two categories, 8 humorous speech and 8 spontaneous speech
120 audience full room very warm appreciative too
2 1e winners : Malachi and Samir, and also great 2e and 3d winners.

Julie Kertesz, Division Governor closing the meeting here.

One leave, many variations

One leave, many variations! the same can be done with a "fact" or story


use right arrow to look what a fallen leave can still be used!

How we put them together

Pointing to this image, you can go and see others around it, before it.

How we put them together counts a lot! Still experimenting. Probably I should leave the musician at the end.

It does count with images, and I am still learning it.
It does count with a story and facts too.
It does count within a joke, to put what is funnier at the end!

"I begun to learn of comedy at 77.
Everyone was stunned I could make laugh.
Me too."

It works better then :
I discovered I had funny bones, I never believed I had. All those around me where stunned too.