As I reported it previously, not so long tome ago I hosted a Nooka designer exhibition in Budapest, followed by a kick-as party by Larry Tee. Now I discovered that the super cool Nooka creator, Matthew Waldman was kind enough to include me in his blog. Let’s se what an ultimate new yorker has to say about Hungary, Budapest… and me. Thanx Matthew!

“budapest is a city i have always wanted to visit – rich history, their language is an isolate on the european continent [it's an altaic language more closely related to finnish, mongolian, japanese and korean than to any other groups], they have a culture of spending long afternoons in thermal baths, and the danube is a famous river. i was not disappointed!

my reason for coming was the hungarian custom nookanooka show organized by csap viktor, our man on the ground in budapest. the show featured 35 local artists, and i was blown-away by the enthusiasm and craft the artists applied to the competition. i will update the nookanooka pages on our website as soon i get the official photographs and artists bios from csap. larry tee was dj at the after party, and it was great catching up with him [i haven't seen larry since he moved to london]. i got to become friends with the madonna of hungary, kristóf steiner who splits his time between budapest and tel aviv and was our emcee for the evening. really great guy!

the only unfortunate thing was some planning issues, mainly the may day holiday weekend. like NYC on labor day, more than half of the city was out-of-town! hopefully the show will travel within buda or pest to continue the buzz when the city is back to full-tilt! i’ll keep you posted.

so, let me end by saying, if you haven’t thought of it, visit budapest! it’s affordable, extremely bicycle friendly [i rented a bike for 2 days and it was AMAZING] and full of things to do. as for best thermal, i recommend széchenyi. gallért is more famous [matthew barney's cremaster cycle was partly filmed there] but not as nice overall [poorly signed, only some of the staff are helpful]. széchenyi is in a beautiful park with an amusement part and museums, so you can kill a whole day there!”

I’m sure that you, like me, have been heartbroken by the images coming out of Haiti since the devastating earthquake shook the impoverished nation on Tuesday. Madonna felt the same way – that’s why she is calling for our help. Here is the letter what I received a few minutes ago…

The time is now!

Dear Kristóf,

My prayers are with the people of Haiti. I can’t imagine the terrible pain and suffering they are experiencing. Sadly, the depths of the tragedy are just becoming known and the need for our support grows more urgent with every passing moment. I have given a donation of $250,000 to assist Haiti’s earthquake victims through Partners in Health, one of Haiti’s leading health care providers. I urge all of my friends and fans around the world to join me collectively to match my contribution or give in any way you can.

Many of you will remember Dr. Paul Farmer, a founding director of Partners in Health, from my film, “I Am Because We Are.” Paul is a medical anthropologist and a physician who has dedicated his life to treating some of the world’s poorest populations. Paul has been working alongside Haitians for decades, empowering them to improve their own communities. His dedication to Haiti and his transformative work there has inspired my own work in Malawi.

I realize I’ve asked for your help before. But when the suffering of tens of thousands of people comes into our homes and touches us the way the situation in Haiti has, I believe we are called to act. Right now, Partners in Health is rushing to provide medical supplies and additional staff to the 120 doctors and hundred of nurses they already have on the ground in Haiti. Supplies are quickly running out. I’m inspired by Partners in Health, and I whole-heartedly support their work. Please join me in supporting their relief efforts, which are needed more now than ever before. Please donate to Partners in Health now: http://www.raisingmalawi.org/partnersinhealth

We cannot sit idly by and watch the suffering of so many. We must act now.

Thank you for your support,

Madonna

Hungary’s jucy celebrity magazine, HOT! recently published a two page article on my Kabbalah studies. If you’re interested in the technology of soul what changed my way of thinking, talking and living, go for it! I do know secret now: the main importance is not in fame on wealth, but what I do with it.

That’s our secret… and yours as well…

The magazine says: Kristóf Steiner left a glamorous life in the spotlight, when he moved to Tel Aviv half a year ago with Matan, his loved one. Now he is sharing with the Hot! magazine readers what changed in his life. „My dad and mum were really spiritual people and they had kabbalah books back in the 80’s, when no one knew about this cosmic wisdom in Hungary. For me, since I was a kid, the main thing was getting famous, to be on tv, go to VIP parties and be in movies. After I got all these, I realized how empty is the channel between me and the people who are looking at me: I don’t give anything for the fame what I got.”

While Kristóf was dealing with being a celebrity – what he always wanted – he lost his own, real personality: he stopped taking care of people and causes what he did before and he developed a serious eating disorder.

„I realized that being famous is a responsibility. I have to do and say things what has meaning and can guide others. When I came to Israel, I already knew I am going to visit the Kabbalah Centre, since I already finished most books which has been published in Hungary, and I found it very helpful and inspirational. When I met my instructor, David Zakin, I knew this the right way to the light.”

Kristof says being spiritual and finding God in himself does not mean he won’t go out or party again: he loves to have fun, but as he says, our material interests are in a certain 1 percent of our true nature, all the rest, what brings us closer to be filled up with satisfaction is in the 99 percent.

„My teacher called me a few times while I was in Hungary for 2 weeks, and if I get destructed he is giving me advices what meditation should I do or which book should I read and I truly trust him.” Says Kristóf, and he thinks, no one should be sarcastic about people looking for spiritual paths. „I know some people will say I’m following a fashion line by Madonna or Demi Moore, but I know how serious I am about becoming a better person, who can share the light what he experiences. Reacting on the sarcasm is never a wise thing. It’s time for us to do actions, not re-actions.”

I’m happy and grateful for my new mission what I got from the Light: building and editing the kabbalah.com’s Hungarian website. If you thought that it’s all about a red bracelet and a bottle of water, visit us on the other side of the curtain. Join our Facebook group and if you are in Tel Aviv, here is a hint… there is a new English language class starting really soon. “I think you wanna come over…”