Sunday, December 15, 2013

Christmas time!

We are starting Christmas time!!! Time to share, time to be with our beloved ones, time to think about all the good we have, time to think about the people who are not here anymore with us (and we miss them so much!), and time to FEEL the Christmas sense, the true Christmas meaning...

I wish you a very very very happy and merry Christmas... and the best for next year!

Here I leave a piece of the film"Love actually", a romantic comedy Christmassy film. Don't you know this film? I recommend it to you.


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The book I am reading (4)

In fact, I have just finished it... it is called "Bajo la misma estrella" in Spanish, but the original one is "The fault in our stars", by John Green.



It is about Hazel, a 16-year-old girl who has lung cancer. She is a bit depressed, so her mum forces her to attend a support group. She doesn't want to go, but accepts... and there she met Augustus, a gorgeous boy who will change her life and her attitude towards cancer, love, death... Augustus had cancer too and he lost his right leg, so he knows perfectly about having cancer.

Is it a love story? Yes. Is it sad? Yes. And it is very hard sometimes... but it is also full of humour, laughs, emotion, tenderness and friendship. If you start reading, I am sure you will get caught...

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Goosebumps (2)

I suppose I am the last person on earth to have seen this video... it seems all my friends know it! But, just in case you haven't discovered the magic of the first year in Ward's life... just have a go.



Ward was born too early... two months and a half before he was expected to be born. He weighed about 700 grames... and as his mum hold him in her arms, his dad started to record (he is a professional photographer). Now, a year later, he has made a video as a present for his wife (Ward's mum), and also as a tribute to the hospital staff. It is incredible how tiny and fragile was Ward at the very beginning of the video... and what he looks like now, a year later.

What is happiness?

I have just found a friendly Facebook webpage about tiny details in life that make you feel happy... They welcome any new ideas, so if you want to suggest your own happiness moments, send them your ideas!

This is the page (click on the photo)


Here I show some of my favourite happiness moments... 




















It has been difficult to choose... up to now, there are 2163 happy pictures!!!



Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Barcelona, nit d'estiu

Last Sunday I saw this film about six couples and their love relationships. Everything happens in a city you know well... Barcelona. Everything happens before a comet passes by, on a hot summer night.




I enjoyed the film a lot, but above all, I fell in love with the soundtrack. I discovered a new group called "Joan Dausà i els tipus d'interés" and a very intense song called "Jo mai mai". This song is performed on a scene in the film, and this is my favourite scene... Unfortunately I haven't found it on Youtube, so I can't show you how it is... But I can show you the song itself. Here you are!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

I love autumn


I love autumn. It is indeed  my favourite season. Why? There are a lot of reasons to like autumn... Here are some.

Autumn is romantic. In autumn you can take the most amazing photos, because autumn landscapes and colours are special.



Autumn is fresh. Not so cold as winter, but not so hot as summer. The weather is cool in the morning and at night, but it is very hot at midday. You can still go to the beach and sunbathe a little... but you don't get "crispy" like in summer.

In autumn there are a lot of festivities and fairs in the nearby towns. You can also celebrate Halloween, Saint's Day, the Valencian Community Day, The Hispanic Day, the Constitution Day... so we have a few days off to have a rest and relax a bit.

There are some special days for me to celebrate during autumn. 

October and November are my favourite months. 

One of my favourite songs is called "Octobre". 



One of my favourite films is called "Sweet November".




And finally... Autumn is just before Christmas season...

What about you?

Do you like autumn as well? Is it your favourite season?

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Goosebumps (1)

From now on, I have decided to share the videos that make me have goosebumps (tener la carne de gallina). Did you know this idiom?

Today, I am sharing this video about how we can make the difference... and start the change. Every little thing helps.


What do you feel when you see this video? Could you tell me, please? You can also use this video for a post, I think it can be very interesting if some other people give their view about it.

In my opinion, this is so simple, but so difficult at the same time. We seem to be living in a society who is indifferent to the problems of other people. And watching this video... makes me feel that we can change that. Because you, and me, we are good people. And there are a lot of people who are good around us.

So focus on them.

And help others... because others will help you.

Good actions bring more good actions. Don't you think?

Be contagious!!!!



Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Gravity

Two weeks ago one of my students told me about this film and I had seen a short clip on TV, so we looked for the official trailer and we saw it during a Practical English lesson.




I found it really scary and I even felt panic. How could an astronaut face a situation like the one we see in the trailer? Could I resist seeing the complete film? Well, I can answer the second question... I really could... but believe me, I suffered a lot yesterday at the cinema.

But I recommend this film to you. You won't be indifferent, I am sure.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Teacher, I don't know what to write...

This is one of the most repeated sentences in class when we talk about your blog. I usually tell you to write about the things you like... that's so obvious that sometimes I have to be more specific if you don't get inspired.



On the right side of the blog I have put a new section with "Ideas for your posts" and I am going to copy them here, at the end of this post.

You can also get inspired by having a look at my blog and what I have published. There are plenty of photos, videos... that you can see and be the ideas for your new posts. Have a look at your classmates' blogs too. There are eternal topics you can use once and again...



As I said before, here you are some ideas (topics) for your posts. I have used some of this before...

Ideas for your posts

  • A catchy song
  • A horrible day!
  • A nightmare
  • A school project I am proud of
  • A trip to remember
  • Animals
  • Awesome pictures
  • Books and reading
  • Chatting online or face to face?
  • Films I recommend
  • I am very good at...
  • I can't live without...
  • Music
  • My best friend
  • My favourite subject
  • My first day at school
  • My grandparents
  • My hobbies
  • My ideal job
  • One of my dreams
  • Plans for this weekend
  • Poems
  • Some things you don't know about me
  • Sports I hate
  • The best plan for me
  • The Internet
  • The most annoying thing in the world
  • Things I hate doing
  • TV programmes
  • TV series
  • What I hate most
  • When I was five years old...
  • Youtube videos I recommend

Videos with lyrics

I am sure you like a lot of songs whose lyrics are in English. Do you understand what they are talking about? Sometimes they are a bit of nonsense, but sometimes they have deep meanings...

As you know, you can look for the lyrics on the internet but also using Youtube. Some people make incredible videos (I will show you some another time). These videos with the music and the lyrics help you to learn English. Why? Because you understand better the vocabulary, you learn new words and expressions, and above all, you learn the pronunciation. In addition, if you sing the song trying to pronounce as well as you can you will improve a lot your English.

Do you want to have a try? Let me show you the new Coldplay song. It is part of the "Hunger games: Catching fire" soundtrack. The song is called "Atlas" and, in my opinion, is amazing.

Here it is! Enjoy!


Wow! 1

I have just found and seen this HD video and I have rushed to my blog to share it with all my students.

I think we are not usually aware of where we are living... the Earth. It is so amazing, so wonderful... This time this video was made from the photos taken by the International Space Station. I have run off of words to describe what I feel so... WOW! could make it.

Have a look, and tell me your opinion, please!!



Earth from Michael König on Vimeo.

My favourite parts are the storm ones. Lightings are so flashy!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Vocabulary clouds, a good idea!

Last year I showed you an online tool to create word clouds he in this post. I think it would be a great idea not only to revise English or French vocabulary... but also for other subjects' concepts. For example, I have just prepared this cloud for my students of History, for a piece of unit 1 regarding to the "Antic Règim". This could be like this...

What do you think? Try your own cloud!


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

A man reading a poem...

I am not very keen on poetry... I only like some Becquer or Neruda poems... but in general, I don't like poetry.

So, when I discovered this man reading this poem in the TV talent show "Tú sí que vales" I got so amazed... I think he has an awesome voice, perfect for reading those poems.

Here you are one of the poems read by Rafael Turia. He makes the videos too... with such beautiful images, with that subtle nice music!



He is not the author, but I think he has got a perfect voice for poetry...

And you? Do you like poetry?

Funny videos

I am so fond of discovering new Youtube videos that make me smile or even laugh... so when I saw this video I couldn't stop laughing... I have seen it a lot of times, and it always make me laugh, it is incredible!!




I was investigating about the author (the man with glasses is the protagonist, the other is his roommate). His nick on Youtube is MrEpicMann and he has published more than thirty videos... not all of them are so funny, but I want you to see this one... I think this is very funny too!


Homeland

Do you usually watch TV? How do you watch TV programmes, films, documentaries or series? I usually see them online, on the internet... I don't often download them, as it is sometimes slower than watching it online.

I have recently finished the second Homeland season. As the first one, it has twelve episodes... and it will not continue until next September... too long!



This is about Brody, an American marine who has captured and under torture for eight years by a terrorist group (Al-Qaeda). When he is finally free, a CIA officer (Carrie) investigates him because she specializes in Al-Qaeda stuff, and she believes that Brody has become an Al-Qaeda member trying to attempt against the USA.

It is really exciting!!!

The book I am reading (3)

Right now I am reading this book, "The list of the forgotten names" by Kristin Harmel. It is about two women... and there are two stories. One is Rose's story, and the other one is the story of Rose's granddaughter, Hope. Rose suffers from Alzheimer and she keeps a very big secret related to her past. She asks Hope to go to Paris and find about what happened to Rose's relatives.

It is very interesting, as you learn about how Jews suffered during the Second World War... No matter how many times I have read (or seen) about the Holocaust... it is always really impressive and awful...
What are you reading right now? 

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Write a story with... (1)

Let's start a new type of activity. As you have asked for some new ideas for your posts... here you are a photo, and try to write a short story with it. 

Here I am leaving you some questions to inspire you...

Where is this door leading to?
What can you see?
Where is it?
Who could be the protagonist?


You can copy the image url and paste it in your new post. Good luck!

The book I am reading (2)

Hi there!

Today I want to recommend you a set of novels which are tremendously hilarious. I have already read two of them, and I am reading the third one.

The writer is Eduardo Mendoza and I had already read some of his books: "La ciudad de los prodigios" (about Barcelona) and "Sin noticias de Gurb", which I read when I was 14 years old. I remember it was very funny... but not like these!!!

The protagonist of these four novels is a man "without name", we don't know his real name as he is a detective "by accident" and he is living in a mental hospital. In the third novel, he is a hairdresser apart from a detective. He talks in a very educated way but with such a sense of humour that yesterday I was about to sputter coffee on my Kindle... twice or three times while reading!

These are the four books:



If you love laughing you will enjoy those books! 

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Thinking about 30-day challenges

Last Thursday, as I already told you, my students of Practical English and I saw a video about "30-day challenges", consisting on the idea that if you do something unusual during a month, it can become a habit... a good habit! Or maybe not... but, at least, you will have spent your time doing new and maybe even interesting things.

I am still thinking about what could be my 30-day challenge... because it has to be realistic, not too difficult to accomplish, and enjoyable... because it would be nonsense doing something I don't like... so I have looked for some ideas on the internet.

First I have found the personal webpage of the man giving the TED lecture about this topic. He is called Matt Cutts and he works for the Google company. Reading a bit of his blog I have discovered that he has done some challenges like not using social networks for a month, not answering emails after 9 pm, playing the ukelele, having eight hours of sleep each day... It sounds great!

Then I have found a webpage about 30-day challenges. It is great to discover how many people are there trying to improve their lives! Some want to lose weight, others want to have a healthier lifestyle... and there are some simple but effective ways to start. Have a look at the categories section!

I have also found some interesting and detailed lists for different activities, one for every day. Here are some examples related to "photography", "drawing" and "writing" challenges.




What do you think? Will you start a 30-day challenge?
Let me know!!

Friday, March 15, 2013

I can't live without... my Kindle

As I have tell you a lot of times, I am very fond of books and reading. When I knew about e-readers, I thought that it was a silly invention... because I really appreciate the smell and touch of a paper book, a "real book" as I said... And I also considered that reading on a small screen is a bit silly if I can read in the computer screen! And it is more tiring for the eyes than reading on a "paper, real book".  But then a very good friend showed me her Kindle and I was a bit surprised to see that it has got a very good resolution, it is  so pleasant to read on it! It has got a special screen with "e-Ink", that is, a special technology to read electronic books.

And then, the amount of space and money that you save thanks to the Kindle!! I read now more than before... in two months (I got my Kindle as a Christmas present) I have already read 25 books!!!

I have taken my Kindle in two long train trips to Barcelona, and time passed so fast that I was amazed!





Thursday, March 14, 2013

30 day challenge

This morning I have shared with my students of "Practical English" this video about "30-day challenges". When you decide to take up a challenge, if you maintain that new activity for 30 days, you will acquire a new habit. Maybe it is not very interesting at first sight... but, have a look and then...



Then, tell me. Don't you feel like doing something like that?

I am thinking about starting my own 30-day challenge... what about you? If you start a challenge, let us know!!!


I can't live without... coffee

What are those things you first thought you would't like... and now are so important in your life?

For example, when first mobile phones appeared, I didn't think I would have one. I can proudly tell you that I am not hooked to Whatsapp or something like that, but I admit that it is a great invention.

Another thing that I didn't like at first... COFFEE! When I was a teenager, I thought that it would be impossible that something so bitter would please me so much... but it really does!



I confess... I am not a person until I have had my first morning coffee!

And you? What do you think of mobile phones or coffee?

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Technology dependence

What do these images make you think of? What do you think about our dependence on technology? Maybe you want to use any of these pictures for a post about this topic...







In my opinion, most of us depend too much on technology.