Hi everyone!

Hello guys and welcome to my blog, which comes as a new virtual experience on the Net. Hopefully you will be able to access it and share it with me in whichever way you please. It¡s a very modest and unassuming project which you can use for something as simple as contacting both your classmates and me to find out what we just did in the classroom during a lesson you couldn't attend or a little more daring like writing in your own comments, ideas, criticisms, ... anything, as long as it is PERSONAL and IN ENGLISH!

Let me begin this first entry by posting the link to the very first song that we listened to in class, by English band Coldplay. Some say they're one of the most overrated line-ups in modern rock, but I still like the stuff: its catchy tune, its Biblical-like lyrics and the chorus, which sounds upbeat and lifts my spirits even if it reads: That was when I ruled the world. Click below and enjoy the videoclip:

Viva la Vida!

In case you still don't have the lyrics to the song, you can find them here.

Now to more "serious" matters. I've been trying like mad to find the way to upload mp3 files onto my new blog so that I can insert the recording Joseph made last Thursday, but to no avail. The closest I've been is a web called archive.org. I've signed in five or six times to create a new account, but then I click UPLOAD and the web asks me to log in and whenever I use my newly-created account, it keeps telling me that either the username or the password are INVALID! I haven't the foggiest what I'm doing wrong ... So, can anyone who is versed enough in blogs help me how on earth I can get this right. I mean, do you know an easy reliable method, say, a web where I can upload audio files that I can later insert on my blog?

October 26

What next? I've been thinking there's one thing you could do to start contributing to this blog. Some of you - not many, I should say - have been watching DVDs from my own "pirate" collection. I wonder if you would like to encourage other classmates to watch them too by writing in on this blog a small review of the film, saying what you enjoyed about it, whether the story, or the performances, the music score, you name it, together with a very brief outline of the plot . Fancy the idea? It could be mighty interesting to share your film taste in English, couldn't it?
All you need is to create an account in order to be able to write in a commentary and publish it accordingly. I'll give you more details if necessary. C'mon, give it a go!

October 28

Breaking news: Probaby you've seen the leaflets in the hall as you were leaving the school after the lesson. Another edition of Van Dyck's Semana de Cine e Idiomas is coming soon. Right now I was flicking through the list of films and there are some interesting titles to "sink your teeth into". From Angelina Jolie's A mighty heart and an indie film like This is England to Ken Loach's It's a free world, you're spoiled for choice. As far as other languages go, I just know Oscar-winning German drama The counterfeiters, but I always trust Juan Heras's - Van Dyck's owner - taste in cinema. Remember you can find some great reviews on all these films in rottentomatoes.com and imdb.com. By the way, fancy meeting up for a flick and a coffee next week? We can talk about it on Thursday ...

Now, today was an exhausting day, wasn't it? What with the nail-biting election and the thrilling debate on globalization, recorded for posterity, you mush have felt mentally drained at the end of the lessons (ha ha!). Seriously, I just hope you didn't feel too uncomfortable on the microphone. I sicerely apologize if you did, but my sole intention was to do something "new" that could make you speak out in a funny way. But I'd love to hear your impressions on my blog.
Well, that's all for now. See you on Thursday, OK?


October 31

What a dull, dreary, rainy Hallowevening! My golf plans on Teachers' Day ruined!
Anyway, it's official: Halloween has gone GLOBAL. You see, so far there's been three parties of trick-or-treaters (mostly young girls) knocking on our door, wearing expensive costumes and asking for candy or a few coins. The first bunch this morning gave my daughter the fright of her life: she inadvertently opened the door to three girls wearing "Scream" masks - you know, the white heart-shaped hooded one that you may have seen in the namesake horror movie - so she jumped at the shock. I can't imagine what could have happened if a weak-hearted granny had opened the door ...
To those of you who didn't attend the lessons yesterday, may I remind you that we finished module 1 (or nearly so, since we ran out of time as we were listening to the news bulletins on page 15) after using some revision exercises on the Cutting Edge CD-Rom that you all should have but most of you don't, due to the negligence of Longman Publishers in Spain, or in Salamanca to be precise. That's why I offered to "burn" copies if you wish to have the CD, you just need to bring a blank one with your name on it. I think it's worth revising the contents of each module as we finish it with the help of the CD-Rom, and it should be good fun! Anyway, I'll use it myself on the magic board now and then.
OK, enough for now. I wonder if anyone is or will be reading this stuff at all, and would to like to offer some feedback ...
Cheers mates!


November 1
At long last someone dares write a commentary! (see down below) Problem is she uses a nickname, "Cleopatra", and I'm not 100% sure who that might be, but still I can guess because of what she says about feeling shy on the mike .. Whoever you are, thanks a lot for logging on to my blog and sharing your thoughts. And surely I'd like to visit your "baby" blog!
By the way, if any of you ever want to keep your own privacy that's fine by me, but I reckon it would be nice if you signed your name at the end of the comment, wouldn't it?

cleopatra dijo...

Hi José Luís:
I thing your blogg is a good idea ((I have one, but a bit baby in this moment).
Last class was OK, but I probably enjoyed it less than others because I´m a bit shy, and having a strage thing like a microphone in my hands is difficult for me.. but OK, I think it´s good for us in order to improve our English.. we peobably need time.
Now I can understand my students when I record them with my video-camera :-(
I´ll see you next week!

29 de octubre de 2008 7:55

Now, last night my family and I watched the latest Indiana Jones adventure on our great home cinema. Yes, the legend is back, a bit older but still fit enough to keep audiences entertained. Indeed, a highly recommendable movie if you want to have fun, pure and simple; of course I've "ripped" it, so you can borrow it at your convenience.
Bye for now! Keep blogging!



maria_olivera dijo...

Hey everyone!
I can at last make a commentary...! I couldn't because someone has already log in with the same e-mail as mine! So I had to go from page to page... but now it's OK!
Well, I didn't have any Halloween party and nobody came to knock at our door (I live in a little village and globalization comes little by little :P). But I saw some kids disguised... One had a huge mask of a lizard or something like that..!
I have seen many friends this weekend and I am having a birthday next! Very busy...
Well see you all on Tuesday! Bye,bye

2 de noviembre de 2008 3:45

November 4

Well, the big day has arrived. Yes, the mother of all elections is being held tonight, at long last you must be thinking! The most important Spanish media have sent their anchors all the way to America to cover the event live from Washington. Sometimes I wonder if we don't know much more about the US election than many Americans themselves and if all non-Americans across the globe should also be given the right to vote for the next US president! After all, the is the world's commander-in-chief, isn't he?
Now, who is going to win? Opinion polls seem to predict an easy victory for the Illinois senator, but I wouldn't be too sure. Remember someone called "W" (Bush, that is), who nobody gave a dime for some eight years ago and has inhabited the White House for all this long. There's also the so-called "Bradley effect", a political theory which reflects discrepancies between what the polls indicate and the actual result when a white candidate and a black one run against each other. It was named after Tom Bradley, like Obama an African American, who lost the 1982 California governor's race despite being clearly ahead in the polls.
But I don't want be boring to you, I just wanted, for the sake of English, not for his political ideas, to recommend watching the much talked-about Obama infomercial , aired prime time on three US TV networks last October 29th. I reckon it is political "marketing" at its best: every single frame, the background music, the messages, all is neatly planned and brilliantly designed by a skillful production team to make a huge impact on Middle Americans. Judge for yourselves ... then move your bums and go vote! ha ha!

By the way, Joseph went to the school yesterday to say goodbye, as he is flying back to the States right today and he just wanted to send his warm regards to all of you and wish you good luck. He even suggested I should organize a school trip to America ... not a bad idea. I mean, we have always thought of the UK and Ireland for these things, but maybe we could give it a try across the Atlantic. I guess we have to talk one day about it, don-t we?
Well, this is all for now. Now that you are, by the little, posting you comments on my blog, you can send in your thoughts about the US election, can-t you?
See you all this evening. Cheers!



November 5

Good morning America! I mean ... Spain. I'm sorry but it's only 5:50 a.m. and I've just woken up to find, as they say, history in the making: habemus ... a black president of the USA! Yes, McCain has conceded defeat and everyone at Chicago's Grant Park is awaiting for the new President elect to deliver his victory speech. How must he be feeling right now? Elated? Overjoyed? Yes, possibly, but also stressed out and ... Here he comes, as I'm writing these lines, 22:58 local time in Chicago, holding hands with his younger daughter and Michelle by his side. He's talking of course of the American dream, of this country as the place where everthing is possible.
To think that when I went to bed Obama barely had a few electoral votes and was lagging behind McCain, and I started wondering: well, maybe we're in for another "Bradley effect" election. But then I tuned in Cadena Ser, and someone says that CBS is projecting Obama takes Pensylvannia, so that means McCain has a "difficult road" to the White House. Such a complex electoral system they have in America. He was damn right! Obama has won a landslide victory, with over 180 electoral votes ahead of senator McCain so far. So congratulations Mr. President and good luck, you're going to need tons of it with the massive task that lies ahead.
Yes we can!, shouts the crowd as if it were an Avenida basketball match when the home team is losing. Anyway, I don't want to bore with so much political stuff.
Let me also tell you that I didn't go and see An Almighty Heart last night. I guess I freaked out and I must be honest with you, I kind of felt depressed to think that my 2NA students - or most of them at least - were not going either. It's not that I'm blaming you for my state of mind, but I couldn't help thinking for a while "they're not interested in the film, what will I be doing alone in the audience?"
The speech is over, "May God bless the USA" Obama says as music blares out in the park and Vicepresident Biden appears on stage and hugs him ...
I was saying I didn't feel like watching the film by myself. Perhaps I'm too enthusiastic at times and a bit of a bore too when it comes to persuading you to "absorb" as much English in whichever way as you can, like I do everyday, because I'm still a learner, a student like you so to speak, and I mean every word I'm saying, so sometimes it's sort of a let-down to think that I cannot make you feel "commited" enough ...
Well, I sound like Barack Obama delivering a speech in front of a crowd, so I will close now!
Thanks for reading this and see you tomorrow in and "out" of the school (ha ha!) Hopefully the lessons will make you laugh and HAPPY ...


November 9

Happy Sunday everyone! By the way, it's Remembrance Sunday in the UK (always the second of November), a day when the country "remembers" its war heros in WWI, marked by ceremonies at local memorials in most town and villages and a 2-minute silence held at 11 a.m. The actual Remembrance Day will take place on Tuesday, which commemorates the anniversary of the end of the First World War on November 11 1918 at 11 o'clock. It is customary for everyone to wear paper poppies, which are sold the weeks before the day by the British legion to raise money in order to support ex-soldiers. Traditionally, the Queen, her family , the PM and other dignitaries lay wreaths of poppies (like the one in the photo) at the foot of the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.

Enough history! Now, what a great film we saw last Tuesday, didn't we Ana? This is England is a tough story depicting a tough period of modern Britain, set in the Thatcher years. The score (that is, the music) is brilliant (a glorious finale) and so is the photography. On top of it all, the characters are totally credible (especially the young boy) and the rhythm is fast-moving. Though the language is crude most of the times (the "f" word is heard a thousand times!), it very faithfully reflects the idiosyncracy of the fascist, xenophobic National Front and the non-conformist youngsters those days. A highly recommendable movie, which you can borrow in AVI format from my portable if you bring a USB pendrive (and A Mighty Heart too)

Finally, let me remind those of you who didn't come to school on Thursday (and/or haven't turned up lately) that we're well into module 2, dealing with mixed emotions, laughing matters (I'll get you a copy of Fawlty Towers by Tuesday) and idioms with LAUGH, CRY and TEARS (see page 21 of your SB). By the way, as the saying goes "Only a fool never changes his mind" (our Spanish phrase "rectificar es de sabios"), and I have to do it myself: I remember saying you cannot "BURST OUT laughing", only "crying", and of course that is not true. You can indeed burst out laughing.
Well, that's all guys. Send in your comments, will you? I'm so excited every time I see a new one posted here! Cheerio!



November 11

Hi there! I'd just forgotten that Javier (Becerro, that is) asked me to post in a review of the film American Gangster, so his wish is my command. I think it's just great that you can send in your opinion of a DVD you've seen, or a movie in the cinema (remember the Van Dyck film week?) and hopefully other classmates will (or not) be tempted to watch it too. So here you have it. C'mon in and blog now, you lazybones!

"American Gangster" by Javier Becerro:

First of all, I recommend this film to everyone. “American Gangster” reminds me of movies like “ the godfather” and “ Scarface”.

The plot (a true story during the Vietnam war) is easy and understandable despite slang is extensively spoken by drugs dealers and policemen.

On the one hand, an African American guy (Denzel Washington) takes advantage of the main gangster’s death to set up a mafia corporation; He is helped by his family, selling drugs firstly in NY and later anywhere.

On the other hand, a cop (Russel Crowe) suffering a divorce process, is trying to give a new meaning to his life, catching criminals. When their lives cross …

I liked that the performance of the main character couples perfectly with the story. The director attempts to mythologize old gangsters' generation.

PS. A few sequences are unsuitable for sensitive persons.

November 12

Right back from Van Dyck, where I've just seen "It's a free world", I feel like writing a few lines. Definitely not the best film of the three, but still worth watching if only for the powerful, convincing performance by Kierston Wareing. The story gives you food for thought, as it makes you realize what a shitty world we live in, and how lucky most of us are, having a decent job that we get paid for, all the more if, like in my case, you love it.

By the way, I spotted Antonio amidst the audience, with that unmistakable grey hair of his, but I didn't have the chance to talk to him after the end. I'd like to have asked him what he made of the film, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow, is that OK Antonio?

You know guys, I wish you would send in more comments, regarding the lessons, the materials I enclose in my mail, the films you're watching, anything! I do mean it when I say this is for you, but I need your feedback, your participation, otherwise this tiny humble project will die out. Well, I'll keep waiting ... See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams!

November 16

Happy Sunday everyone! Well, I must start by thanking Mª José for her comments (click down below) which she posted today. Not for the flattering compliments about me, which indeed I appreciate, but for being so outspoken about the "exigencies" she needs to cope with and, above all, for the great review of "It's a free world". It really encourages me to carry on with this blog, and I hope it will act as an incentive for those of you who haven't dared so far.

Now, let me tell you that this week we're in for some "musical" lessons. And I can't help doing some warm up: Some 34 years ago, legend has it that famed American critic Jon Landau coined the quote "I saw rock and roll's future - and its name is Bruce Springsteen" (Eventually he became Bruce's manager, such a clever guy!). He had just seen "the Boss" perform live in Boston and was blown away by this song called Born to Run, which, in case you don't have or know about, I will enclose by mail right after finishing my blogging. In my view, one of the greatest rock songs ever, songwriting at its best: the love letter to a girl called Wendy, it's a 5-minute epic, containing fantastic music and emotional lyrics, where every single word, every single line is meaningful and powerful, highlighted by Bruce's heartbreaking howls. Sometimes his strong accent makes it difficult to understand his songs, that's why I enclose a PDF file with this particular masterpiece. I hope you enjoy it as it deserves, whether you have listened to the tune before or it's the very first time. Read the words carefully as the song rings in your ears, and you will discover its sheer magic. Some lines are out of this world!

The thing is that this morning I went to the newsagent's as every Sunday to buy the press and bread only to discover, quite by chance, that El Mundo (not my favourite paper, I must confess) gave away, for a ridiculous extra 30 cents, the Born to Run CD as the first weekly installment of the complete Boss's collection. Surely I had my BS stuff at home, including some DVDs and vinyl records, and of course I knew the song pretty well, but I did not have the full album, which, needless to say, I bought straightaway. And the rest, as you can imagine, is history: I played it at full blast in my hi-fi, and became so thrilled that I thought I should share it with you.

I look forward to your opinions about this great American artist and his flagship song. Even though he may not be your favourite act, he's always been respected for his honesty, enthusiasm and professionalism (ever heard of his 3-hour plus long gigs?). Anyway, I hope you guys love this particular song as much as I do, because remember: WE WERE BORN TO RUN! See you tomorrow.

November 18

For the record, I've inserted a pic of myself at the beginning of this blog. It was taken some three years ago by the beer pumps of the oldest pub in Norwich (and probably one of the oldest across England), the Adam & Eve (see picture below).

A hostelry is believed to have been recorded on the spot since the mid 1300s, and much of the current building dates back to the 14th and 15th century. The modern pub is full of character and appeal, serving an excellent selection of ales and bar meals. On top of it all, the staff are incredibly friendly, so if you ever drive past Norwich (not much of a destination in the UK, I admit) drop in and ask for a real pint of ale (not Foster's or Stella Artois, please!)

Well, that's all for now. Hope to meet you all again this evening for some English and music. It would be exciting to see you bring your own stuff ...

November 19

Back from another glorious basketball game @ Würzburg (Hooray for the girls!), it's "blogging time".

You see, I don't know if you really enjoyed so much music stuff on Tuesday, and I admit I get carried away by a bunch of good songs, like Born to Run or I Say a Little Prayer, but surely not everyone was "infected" by my cheerfulness. I even chickened out of sending the links to the Macy Gray reviews on the RS mag. I wonder if this is what you really need or want, if I should be more conservative in my "teaching techniques", so to speak. Maybe I'm demanding way too much from you, with so much blogging, emailing, extra material, and sometimes I feel I'm not getting the right feedback. I mean, perhaps as I get older, my enthusiasm for my job doesn't decay the slightest bit, but I might be losing touch with reality. Perhaps you just don't want to devote so much time and effort as I seem to think you might. Believe me, for any teacher it's so much easier to stick to a conventional lesson plan, and live "off the rent", but I can't do that. I'm literally working my ass off to try and make your lessons more challenging and interesting, and I'll keep doing it until my strength fails me.

But there's always some "fuel" that is pumped into my veins: for example, Ana "Cleo" has told me she wants to make a presentation of Queen's music tomorrow. I'm always so excited when my students are willing to step in and take an active role in the classroom. I do hope you understand this: YOU - AND ONLY YOU - SHOULD BE THE PROTAGONISTS OF YOUR OWN LEARNING. I would like to be a facilitator, a motivator, rather than a "teacher" in the traditional sense of the word, but maybe I'm wrong.

Well, this is starting to sound like a Sunday sermon, so I better close now. Please, send in your own honest reflections about all this, the pros and cons of the lessons, I really care about you, and perhaps I can't see what you need ... Sweet dreams, and see you tomorrow!

PS: Don't forget to always check the new comments made by your peers at the end of the blog, OK?

November 20-21

So, I've just sent a couple of mails and now I move on to my blog. First of all, I'd like to thank Ana yet again for her lovely presentation on my much-idolised band Queen. I wonder if next Tuesday any of you would dare do the same but this time ... say, reviewing a book? Let me know in advance if you're interested and need some help.

As for the task of writing a review (either music or literature) next week, I cannot help encouraging you all to give it a go. Remember the language we've learnt this evening, devote a reasonable amount of time to prepare your draft and organise the text into paragraphs, and don't forget to check lexis, grammar, spelling, etc. before writing the review and sending it to me and all your classmates by email. That way you can share a few reads (or alternatively records) with your peers. The deadline is next Thursday so take your time because as the saying goes "marry in haste, repent at leisure" (antes de que te cases, mira bien lo que haces!)

By the way, bear in mind the second model of book review that I handed out today (Paulo Coelho's By the river piedra ...) It offers plenty of additional language that you might use. Above all, notice how the 4-paragraph structure is rather similar to the one we studied in class: Plot, writing style, characters, personal recommendation, though not necessarily in this order. Incidentally, exercises 2 and 3 (Describing books) present more sentence frames that are suitable to the task. And remember: adjectives and strong adverbs will make your style way more colourful and your ideas more appealing to other readers.

Well, I don't to tire you with my endless rhetoric. It's way past midnight and tomorrow I have to rise early for a busy schedule at school (honestly, I'd rather have lessons with you than stand those long-winded staff meetings!). If you need anything don't hesitate to email me or blog here, OK? Sweet dreams everyone!

November 22

Morning everyone and happy Saturday!

Last night I watched a classic film on DVD that I had seen a couple of times before on the telly, dubbed into Spanish: Scorsese's Taxi Driver. Highlighting great performances by a young Robert de Niro (one of my favourite actors) in the role that shot him to stardom, and an even younger Jodie Foster as the dejected teenage prostitute (she got an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress), the film depicts in all its crude reality (sometimes too graphically, I admit) the filth and scum of post-Vietnam New York as seen through the eyes of war veteran Travis (de Niro). Regarded by critics as one of the landmarks of the American film industry of the 70s, it's a must-see movie, always surrounded by controversy, but to me remains as fresh and thought-provoking as it must have been when originally released, so I insistently recommend it if you haven't seen it yet, or even if , like me, you ever saw it in its dubbed version. You only need to ask me for it, and I'll bring it to class next week, OK?

Mind you, this flick might not be suitable to feeble hearts or those of you who loathe Mohican haircuts, ha ha! (see picture above). De Niro looks really terrifying, doesn't he, indeed one of the most memorable screen villains.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you enjoy the weekend as you deserve but also spend some time on practicing English. Take care!

PS: Ana "Cleo", I've been curious enough to read your profile and found out that Hair (the legendary late-70s musical) is one of your favourite flicks - so is mine. I guess you must have the DVD, but if you don't I DO!, freshly "ripped" from a student of the 2N Basico group ... Come join the AGE OF AQUARIUS!

November 23

As you know, today is the 17th anniversary of Freddie Mercury's death. To me it was a suitable occasion to go and see the photo exhibition displayed in the Palacio de Congresos within the so called "Explorafoto" (click on the word for details), the International Festival of Photography of Castilla y Leon. Well, being a huge rock fan myself, I can only say that I enjoyed every single photograph, every single album cover on display: from Joel Brodsky's legendary portrait of Jim Morrison (see pic below) to the great photos of Spanish artist Martin Frias, I should also mention an extra feature: the extraordinary 1990 Award-nominated DVD (original English version!) by Mark Kirchell entitled "Berkeley in the 60s" (which I'm downloading at the moment). All in all, a must-see event. I couldn't help wishing I had been born in the 1950s and lived through those glorious May-68 days! So if you have some free time before next Sunday, don't miss the opportunity to savour the essence of rock aesthetics.

Moving on to class matters, I'd like to thank "KenyZ" Kike for sending in his review of Victor Frankl's novel "Man's search for Meaning" on this blog (click on the comments below), which I hope will trigger a "chain reaction" and encourage you all to do the same. By the way, thanks Kike too for your enthusiasm for the EP articles I'm enclosing by mail. This really cheers me up, guys!

Well, I will close now. Look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday. Take care

November 24

Evening guys! Reviews keep, yet slowly, coming in. Sometimes on this blog, sometimes by mail. If you click on the comments below you can find two by Kike and Ana "Cleo", but I'd also like to insert Sara's review here because I guess it is only me who's read it so far. It goes like this:

These days i’m reading a book whose title is Amanecer. It’s author is called Stephenie Meyer, and it’s the fourth book of a series. The first one is called Twilight, then came the second one, which is New moon, and the third one is Eclipse. Amanecer is the last one... last but not least of course!

The story begins with a sixteen-year-old girl called Bella who is extremely clumsy. Her parents are divorced and she lives with her mother in L. A. When her mother decides to get married once again, she decides to move on to Forks with her father, although she finds this village boring and hugely depressing. But then there’s a twist in Bella’s life. She gets to know Edward, who is extremely handsome and just... perfect. She falls deeply in love with him. But it comes across that Edward is not a normal person at all. He is a vampire, and it’s totally impossible that Bella can love him. After lots of ups and downs, and fighting for their love over everything, they manage to make true their dream and they keep together.

As you can see, these four books which i have summarised in a few words, are deeply affecting books. If you read them, i’m sure you’ll find them larger than life, packed with lots of romantic scenes. But the writing style is not dull or listless but wonderful and moving. Sometimes it can get a little wearisome, but if you keep on reading you will get through the story as if you were a character living what they live. Maybe it is because although there are lots of fiction elements, it is set in our society, in our culture, in our daily life.

And i think it is also because of the characters. They are immensely well-drawn. Bella is so clumsy, Edward so perfectionist... they all seem like ordinary people. But when you find out that those little details that you find superflous are the essence of their difference... they turn into special and at the same time deeply well-known to you.

When you have read the four novels, in spite of the fact that you like or dislike the characters, you won’t stay indifferent to the story. The characters act so naturally that if you try to imagine what would you do in some situations, you can find yourself thinking about the best way to avoid a starving vampire who’s following you for lots of kilometres...

If you like romantic stories with some touches of joke, lack of tact and clumsiness, you will find this book perfect. Bella and Edward’s love is so wonderful that seems better than anyone. Poignant and with a lot of charisma, these books are a treasure.

Thanks Sara, it sounds interesting! You see, I'm so thrilled that little by little you're starting to contribute your own stuff to this blog, so keep up the good work!

Tell you what: I've successfully downloaded the "Berkeley" DVD that I briefly watched yesterday at the photo exhibition so I'm giving it another go. See you tomorrow!

November 25

Morning everyone! As you may have heard, today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a very disgraceful blight in our society that very slowly, and not always effectively, governments across the world are trying to eradicate. However, to me education is the key to success, isn't it? That's why on such a significant day I'm doing my bit from this modest blog.
There are various organizations which are campaigning against this irrational form of violence: UNIFEM's "Say NO to Violence against Women" is a very relevant effort. If you click on the link, you will find more details and a video featuring Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman's speech of support.
Then, a long-established NGO, Amnesty International, is launching its own awareness-raising campaign, which highlights the links between the problem of violence against women and poverty. As the website concludes: "Human rights violations cannot be stopped, poverty ended, nor development achieved without the active participation of the people affected by these abuses, in particular women and girls".

I do hope you find all this interesting but, above all, remember: SAY NO TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (and, for that matter, in any other form!)
That's all guys. See you this evening and ... keep blogging!



Hi again! Kids are put to bed and my wife is watching this neverending bullwise soap called Herederos so I can blog now.
First and foremost, here's the link to the Yellow Lemon Tree animation by German band Fool's Garden that some of you seem to have enjoyed so much despite the sad background (I'm sorry, Ana & Sara, for letting you into the tragic story behind a seemingly cheerful tune). That's life! Whatever, if later on you see the original videoclip you will probably think of the hit song in a different light, I mean, the message becomes much clearer then, with the girl's death and all.
Don't miss the opportunity to lip-synch, even sing along, which is always good pronunciation practice. I reckon many of you don't feel at ease when reading aloud and singing can actually help boost confidence, believe me.
I want to publicly apologize if sometimes I sort of tell you off (=echar una bronquilla, that is) for not doing what I feel should be your best in class or not having done the homework, but that's my way. Yet, I urge you all to make the effort to devote some quality time to English everyday. I am perfectly aware of your "busy agenda" (studies, work, family life, you name it), but that can't be an excuse, can it, to keep up with the rhythm of the lessons. Bear in mind that you only come to school twice a week and there's more to learning a language at your level than just four hours' "tuition", so to speak. I mean, can you honestly "accuse" me of asking for too much homework within a week's schedule?
Holy crap, what a sermon! I'd better close, but not before begging you to do your utmost to share your book/record reviews (via mail or blog) with all of us by Thursday. Let me finally remind you that that day we'll be revising module 2, so it's always advisable to do some workbook-CDRom exercises to see if you'd like me to focus on any further aspects before moving on to module 3.
Night night!



November 27

Morning there! I'd like to start by enthusiastically thanking those of you who keep sending in, even if sporadically, your reviews. They are great, all in all, with brilliant ideas and beautifully written plots and personal recommendations, but still I should urge you to check SILLY grammar and spelling mistakes, and organize your paragraphs more neatly. C'mon, if you haven't done it just yet, we look forward to reading your review too. And if you can't "blog" it don't forget to email it to everyone in the class, not just me!
Now, I don't know if you realise what day is today (despite the ghastly events in Bombay), a huge celebration in the US, as traditionally on every fourth Thursday of November. Yes, that's right: It's Thanksgiving, when whole families gather together for dinner and gorge themselves on turkey and cranberry sauce. Well, if you want to learn a little bit about this festive day, click on this link and you'll be able to watch a very illustrative 2-minute History Channel video.

Then, I'd like to do my own small bit by reviewing a film I saw a couple of nights ago on my home cinema. It goes like this:
What would you do if your doc broke the terrible news that you're terminally ill and your weeks/months are numbered? What about drawing up a list of things you've never done before but would like to accomplish before your imminent death? Such is the premise for The Bucket List (something like "La lista antes de estirar la pata" - from the phrase "to kick the bucket",- but which has been rather simply put in Spanish words like "Ahora o Nunca").
Unassuming (but intellectually driven) and hard-working family-man mechanic Carter (Morgan Freeman) and arrogant, eccentric and compulsive divorcee billionaire Edward (Jack Nicholson) meet in a hospital room after being diagnosed with cancer. After a rather "cool" encounter, little by little they hit it off so well that eventually become great friends and decide to spend their borrowed time on better things than just lying in a hospital bed while accepting their fate with resignation.
I must admit the story can be (and eventually is) somewhat "schmaltzy" (sensiblera) and rather predictable, but the sole presence of two established screen giants like Nicholson and Freeman makes it worth watching. The film combines hilarious with more sorrowful moments, but all in all a very entertaining flick which will draw the occasional smile and make you realise that life is only too short, so what the hell, LET'S ENJOY IT TILL WE'RE AROUND!
If I were you I wouldn't miss the opportunity to ask me for it and spend a meagre 90 minutes of your otherwise precious life on this Hollywood blockbuster.

Well, that was it. You cannot accuse me of not "practicing what I preach", can you?. I must close now as it's shopping day for me so I hope to see you all this evening for a Thanksgiving lesson. Keep blogging!


November 30

Hi again! You know, I needed a break (and so did you, probably!) so that's why I haven't "blogged" for a couple of days (three, actually), but I'm back ...

Right now I'm watching The Queen on La Primera on and off (in English, of course, as it's the kind of film you should never watch dubbed into Spanish) but I've seen it a few times before and I'm gradually losing interest. Anyway, I hope some of you are watching it too, what a great (Award-winning) performance by this extraordinary English actress, Helen Mirren.

You see, I've been - a bit anxiously I should say - waiting for more reviews, but in vain. It's a bit sad that barely half the class have sent them in one way or another, even some of you exclusively to me, when we agreed that they were meant to be SHARED.  I couldn't help re-reading some of the things you wrote in your "action plans", and oddly enough many of you mentioned in your TARGETS for this year "Do my homework". Well, apparently some of you have forgotten your new-term resolutions pretty quickly, I'm sorry to say! Because writing the review IS homework, isn't it? Unless you understand by this word a mere gap-filling lexical/grammatical task now and then, which I'm ready to shout LOUD AND CLEAR is not what you need. Think if you really want to stick to your principles ...

Fair enough. I just want to add that I've been correcting your reviews and will send them back to you in due course so that you can check the aspects you can improve (probably early this coming week). And I really want to thank those of you guys who have done the task, and hope you will keep working throughout the year. And may I urge those who haven't, for whatever the reasons, that, as the saying goes, "where there's a will there's a way"(QUERER ES PODER), so make the effort to keep up with the class schedule and don't lag behind, will you?

OK, I will close now. Just a brief reminder: you can still enter the cookery competition on December 12, so if you need recipes I can either lend you a book or recommend some useful websites where you will find plenty. 

Good night and hope to see you all on Tuesday (If you haven't been around lately I can tell you that we've just begun module 3 so we are on pages 26-27, so perhaps you would like to take a look ... )