Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Funny videos to learn

Sometimes you can learn thanks to videos you could think that are funny but useless... for example, do you know the videos of "Pulcino pio"? There is a version in each language! So through that catchy tune you can learn about onomatopeias and animals...

Here, in English! ("The little chick cheep")




Here, in French (Ici, en français, "Le poussin piou")



So, while singing... you learn a lot!!!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Word clouds (wordle.net)

Last Friday I showed you in class the webpage wordle.net. It is very easy to use to make word clouds, but I have to say that it is not so good to copypaste the html code it provides... as I have done so, and the result is not very good, as you can see.

Wordle: Untitled

But if you want a better picture, you can capture it with the "Recortes" tool, or pressing the "ImprPant" key in your keyboard. I have used the "Recortes" one. The result is a lot better, as you can see below.


Try it, if you feel like doing a cloud of words!

La pluie

En géneral, les gens n'aiment pas les jours pluvieux. Cependant je ne suit pas la tendance, car j'adore la pluie et les jours pluvieux. Surtout si, comme aujourd'hui, je ne dois sortir de chez moi. Alors, j'aime bien me préparer un bon café et alors, je m'étends sur le canapé avec un livre et une couverture... et j'adore passer le temps comme ça, en écoutant la pluie qui frappe les fenêtres...


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

"Dragon Baby" and "Fight for kisses"

Hello! I have just seen this funny video called "Dragon Baby" and I want you to see it!




It has reminded me of another video with a baby. In this case, it is a cartoon movie, but I think that Wilkinson really had a very good idea :)




What do you think of these videos?

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Sia - Breathe me

Do you know Sia? I am sure you do, even you don't know her as she is, you have listened to some of her songs. I discovered her some years ago, with this song. It is so special!




It is the song that ends a TV series that I am very keen on. It is called "Six feet under", and it talks about a family who work in a funeral home (where people gather when someone dies, and celebrate a funeral). It is a very different series, and I recommend it to everyone. There are very hard situations, but I learned a lot from life and death, and about feelings.

But I wanted to show you this song, "Breathe me", by Sia. It is a very moving song, for me. It talks about a person who has had a very tough day and has fallen again. Any of us know about these days when everything seems to go wrong... and how we need the support of a friend, their being-by-your-side in the worst moments... so this is what Sia is talking about, that feeling of needing a friend next to you.

A real friend!!!

Monday, November 5, 2012

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger


There are people who get upset when they get bad results... it's not my case. Well, I am not happy when something goes wrong... but instead of blaming others for MY mistakes, I always look for the possible solutions or possible ways to improve that bad situation.

Pessimistic thoughts are only good to bring bad things... whereas optimistic thoughts give you energy and strength.

If you are sad, worried, disappointed... well, let the feelings go, feel them, but learn from that bad situation. We are humans! We cannot know everything... we are always learning.

We have to keep the good things, even in the worst situations...



So... it is a good quote: "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger!"

And here you are, a Kelly Clarkson's good song... it says the same I am trying to explain. This is an optimistic song, about a broken relationship... but looking at how strong I am, even when you think I am weak.



What do YOU think?


Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Somebody that I used to know...

Don't you know this song? I can't believe it! It has been one of the songs of 2012... and its chorus is so catchy!

I recommend you to watch the videoclip, in which Gotye and Kimbra, who "used to be a couple", sing about their relationship now and then... maybe you are too young to understand what they are talking about, or maybe not!



I consider the song and the videoclip as a masterpiece. For me, this song reflects very well a lot of feelings related to a broken relationship... and sometimes you cannot find the exact words to express those feelings, but a song appears, and that's it! 

Thanks to this song, I discovered Gotye, a great singer with a different style. Very different, yes! 

 Have you seen this cover? Walk Off the Earth is an American group who make covers of famous songs... but this is so incredible, as they are five people singing and playing the guitar at the same time. This is collaboration and coordination, that's for sure!!!



Do you like this song? Did you know it before? 

What is the 2012 song for you? 

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Do you know Postcrossing?

Postcrossing is a great way to practise English (and other languages too) through postcards... Do you know it?

Last year, I suggested my students to join Postcrossing project... What is it? You write a postcard to someone, and someone will write a postcard to you. It is like a chain of postcards... you send one, you get one. Always a surprise, always a smile!


Monday, October 22, 2012

Your face rings a bell

"Tu cara me suena" (in English it would be "Your face rings a bell") is a TV programme which is shown every Monday in Antena3. 

Eight famous people have to compete for the best impersonation (imitación). Every week, each of them has to dress, act and sing like a famous singer, and the makeup and dressing effects are really impressive.



The eight contestants are Roko (singer), Santiago Segura (actor and filmmaker), Anna Simón (TV presenter), María del Monte (singer), Arturo Valls (actor and TV presenter), Ángeles Muñoz (singer), Javier Herrero (singer) and Daniel Diges (actor and singer).

In my opinion, Roko is the best impersonator (imitadora), but I confess... Arturo Valls is the funniest of all! When he appears, I can't stop laughing :D


Do you like this TV programme? Who is your favourite contestant?

Sunday, October 21, 2012

The power of a smile

Smiling is one of the best things we have in life. It is free, it takes no effort, it makes you feel OK...

There are a lot of quotes related to smiles, and these are some of my favourite ones...







It is not always easy to smile. Sometimes you are really sad, or angry, and you don't feel like smiling... but, didn't you know that just the act of smiling will make you feel better? Yes, it is true... And the power of a smile to other people is amazing. So maybe you have some excuses when you are sad or angry, but you haven't any reason not to be smiling right now. Smile to your family and friends, but it would be so nice if you smiled to other people... to your classmates (even if you are not close friends), to your teachers, to your neighbours, to the shop assistant... 

and your smile will make them feel better




Now I am showing you this nice song by the great Charles Chaplin... it was Michael Jackson's favourite song. For me, it is really sad but at the same time, it is so beautiful... There are a lot of videos on Youtube, but I chose this one because it combines the song with Chaplin's film images.




I hope you like it!

SMILE!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Coldplay

One of the bands I am very keen on is Coldplay... I discovered them, I suppose, on the radio, but I always remember a song with a special moment... that was "Clocks", and I always think of my voyage to Budapest... it is funny how some songs are and will be always related to a place, or even a certain moment... a unique moment... a moment that will last forever in your heart...



Another special song related to a special moment... "The Scientist". I discovered this song thanks to a film called "Wicker Park"... the final scenes of this film were surrounded by the warm voice of Chris Martin... and I think it was with "The Scientist" when I got hooked to Coldplay atmosphere... maybe because this song talks about saying sorry...



And since then, I have always wanted to go to a Coldplay concert. I have seen some videos of them on concert, but obviously I want to see them "live"... I think that will be an unforgettable and very intense experience... as I know... that, one day, I will achieve my purpose...

Until then, I keep on listening to their songs. They always make me smile. Some of them have the power enough to charge my batteries up! And it doesn't matter how many times I have listened to them, I never get bored of them!



Do YOU like Coldplay? What do you think of their music?

Saturday, September 29, 2012

I love reading... and you?

What do YOU think of this sentence? 

Have you already found your favourite book? 

Do you know any of the books that are shown in the picture? 

Monday, September 17, 2012

Welcome to blogging!!!!

Blogging is a great way...

* to learn 

* to practise a foreign language

* to share with friends

* to keep things you like in a good place

* to express myself, to give my opinions

... What else? What do you think blogging is for?