My Favorite movie

Watching movies is a really fun way to spend some spare time, especially when the movie is a great piece of entertainment. The one movie I never get tired to watch is “Indiana Jones and the Riders of the lost Ark”.

The story takes place during the Second World War in which nazis are obviously the bad guys. They are trying to find the Lost Ark of the Covenant to use it for their evil purposes; the Ark is supposed to have special powers and the nazis, under the command of Hitler, want to have it to make their army invincible.

The American intelligence agency knows about the nazis’ intention and decides to contact Indiana Jones. They ask him to find the Ark before the nazis, so Indiana Jones goes in this quest for the Ark because of its historical value as some archeological object. Yet, he acknowledges the power that the Ark might hide. In the end Indiana recovers the Ark of the covenant for the American Government but he feels frustrated because the bureaucrats of the government don’t realize about the great importance of it and they just store it among many other artifacts in a warehouse.

I have probably watched it a thousand times. What I like about this movie is the main character, the university archaeology professor seems to be a perfect combination to me, brains, muscles and adventures hahaha. Another thing that makes this a good movie is the actor who plays the role of Indiana Jones. I have been a fan of Harrison Ford ever since I watched the first filmed “Star Wars” movie.

I think this movie has a very interesting plot, it combines mystery and adventure with some funny scenes, and you don’t care that the special effects are not as good as the ones we can see in today’s movies, the story, the script and the actors compensate greatly. Besides I really hate those movies that rely too much on computer special effects, most of them have a very weak story with very painful actings.

Now it is your turn

What is your favorite movie?

What is it about?

Who acts in the movie?

Why do you like it?

What kind of movies do you prefer watching? 

I learned it on TV

 

Are you the kind of person who remembers any kind of information you hear, read or watch on TV? It is a very useful ability you can use for social purposes. In my case, since I have a bit of an autistic nature, I use this type of information to socialize. I discovered long time ago that it is easy for me to socialize when I am sharing some piece of information I have collected in my brain. Sometimes it is very irrelevant information, but it saves you from having an uncomfortable moment of silence, especially in a conversation with strangers.

I remember one occasion, going home by taxi during the rush hour. It was an Autumn Day after 7 PM, there was a big traffic jam, and I was far from home, so I knew the trip was going to take some time. The moment I started to despair about being stuck in the taxi, I decided to do something about it. I began a silly conversation with the driver, you know……”it seems we have a heavy traffic today” I said…..when he answered, I noticed that he had an accent, so I asked him where he was from. He said he was from Perú, and then he added proudly that he was a descendant of a Peruvian aboriginal tribe called Chachapoyas. That piece of information sounded like music to my ears.

I immediately remember a cultural TV program hosted by the American anthropologist Josh Bernstein.

One of the episodes of that program was about the origin and culture of Chachapoyas. From that moment on, I felt totally relieved, and the trip became a lot less stressful. I told the taxi driver all the information I remembered about his tribe.

I could talk to him during the whole trip. I even had more information about Chachapoyas than the driver hahaha. I also recommended him to watch the TV program. In the end, I had a happy trip home, it even felt as if it took less time to get home. That was thanks to Josh Bersntein and his TV program hahaha.

Now, it is your turn to tell your story....

Are you a sociable person?

What kind of information do you use to talk to strangers?

Is it easy for you to remember information learned on your daily life?

When did you last use information collected informally in a conversation?

What kind of information do you remember easily?

 

 

Premonitions

 

Have you ever had a premonition? A dream or a hunch, that later became true?

Well, when I was a little girl, I used to have this weird experience. It was nothing really important for me, such as knowing who was going to knock at the door or reaching for the phone before it rang because I already knew who was about to call. It could be a little freaky sometimes.

Well, today I am going to share with you two of those experiences in which I could foresee events that became international pieces of news. 

The first premonition has to do with the 9/11 terrorist attack – I believe that many people got paranormal warnings regarding this terrible event; well, I remember that two nights before this terrible attack happened, I had a dream in which I could see a big explosion in the sky, and I heard the screaming of many people in despair. The one thing I remember very well was that I knew that was going to happen in the USA, but I couldn’t tell whereabouts. Later I talked to my mom, and I told her about my dream. Two days later we were watching the news on TV showing the Twin Towers on fire.

The second premonition I am going to mention is about something that happened in Chile. On the 27^th of February 2010, there was a big earthquake in Chile. It was followed by a great tsunami that ended the devastation the earthquake had left.

Many people died mostly because of the tsunami. The construction regulations in Chile saved many people from dying in collapsed buildings. The structures could stand the shake without collapsing, but nobody was prepared for a tsunami. Well, the earthquake happened at 3:38 AM. It was the longest and strongest earthquake I had ever experienced. 

Some hours earlier, at about 11 PM I was in bed, but I couldn’t fall asleep because I was hearing a continuous whisper in my head…… ”Earthquake, earthquake, earthquake” it said, over and over again. I remember I thought “maybe, an earthquake is coming”, but then I said to myself “stop thinking about nonsenses. Just fall asleep”. In the end, the moment the earth started shaking, I knew what was coming, and I immediately got out of bed, fell on the floor because of the strong movement, but I managed to get to the front door and opened it. There I stood waiting for it to stop.

 

How about you?

Do you believe in premonitions? Yes/No Why?

Have you ever had a premonition?

What was it about?

Have you heard about events that were predicted long ago?

My Favorite Festivity

 

Among all the festivities that are celebrated in Chile, the one I like the most is “Fiestas Patrias”. It is the greatest event of the year, and it is celebrated on the 18^th and 19^th of September, but it also includes all the days of the week in which these dates fall in September. Although only these two dates are holidays in the calendar, people are in “Fiestas Patrias” mood during the whole month hahaha.

Schools have the week off, just like American schools have the week off for Christmas.

The reason we celebrate September 18^th is because, on that date in 1810, the proclamation of the First National Government took place; it marked the beginning of our independence from Spain. From then on, we had our own autonomy in the country. 

On the other hand, on September 19^th, we commemorate the glories of the Chilean Army, where a Great Military Parade takes place in Parque O’Higgins.

“Fiestas Patrias” is my favorite festivity because for once in the year, we are all united in one thought and feeling, the love and pride we feel for our country. It seems that, for a little while, there are no political, religious, race, or social status differences among the citizens of this beautiful country. Everybody decorates their houses with national symbols and flies our beautiful flag. 

We cook and eat traditional Chilean dishes, such as empanadas; we also prepare and drink traditional drinks, such as chicha and terremoto. People listen and dance typical Chilean music and gather with their families and friends.

            

You can feel the joyful spirit everywhere. We call September, “El mes de la Patria”

How about you? Say

-What your favorite Festivity is

-When it is celebrated

-What the origin of this festivity

-What activities you do for this festivity

-Why you like it

Changes to my study programme

When I was an English teaching training student at university, I never questioned the study programme of my major, but now, after years of experience, I have thought about all the things that could have been better. To begin with, I think that there should be more training in real classrooms. The professional practice should be done after one has lived what being a teacher means and that can only be achieved by experiencing the teaching environment. Moreover, professors teach excellent methods to improve the teaching but they seldom use them. The best way to teach is by being an example. I would also like that all the English teaching training students had the chance to do one term abroad, so that they can improve their language skills and what’s more important acquire and understand the English culture, because a language is more than using different words to say something……..

Write about some changes that could be made to your study programme (career)

Among others, think about:

 -The curriculum (the subjects you have to study)

 -Workload and length of studies

 -Faculty facilities (buildings and infrastructure)

 -Use of technology

 -Teaching methods

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION

 

According to this theory, we are all connected to anyone else on this planet. It says that in a chain of no more than six or seven acquaintances we could contact anyone on Earth. The most popular example to prove this theory was the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”, a very well-known American actor.

Well, I decided to experiment with this theory, but using my family and relatives as contacts. What I found out was even more interesting and special than I could imagine. It includes, on the one hand, a worldwide historical person and on the other hand, a famous actress.

The first one is about one of my father’s sisters. She married a Chinese man, who had arrived in Chile during the Second World War. His parents put him on a boat to South America to save him from certain death in China. His name was 十 (it’s read ‘sap’) which means “ten” (he was the tenth child in his family). The thing is that his father was a doctor – a very good one – who had access to the Forbidden City and so, had contact with the Last Emperor, “Puyi”. In this case, there are two people between me and the Last Chinese Emperor: my uncle Sap and his father. Amazing, isn’t it?

The second story is from my mother’s side of the family. One of my cousins worked as a performer at the Chanhassen Diner Theatre in Minnesota, while she was studying at the university there. Well, among her coworkers there was a young woman called Amy Adams. They met there and shared time working for that theatre. Later Amy Adams became a very famous actress. I remember seeing some musicals at that theatre during the late 90's. They were really good.

I found out more awesome connections, but today I am going to limit my stories to these two ones.

Now, it's your time to do some research and let us know what you have found out.

Do you have any story to tell regarding this theory?

Is it yours or someone else's?

Who does that story involves?

Where did it take place?

Include any information you consider to be important.

Songs and Memories

 

Ever since humankind has existed, there has been music in our lives, created to worship, memorize procedures, commemorate an important historical event or just to have fun.

I’m sure we all have listened to some songs which bring back memories into our minds.

Among those songs, I’m going to pick one or two and tell you about what event in my life they remind me of.

The first song I’m going to mention is Michelle by Gerad Lenorman. It is a French song released in 1978 (now you can calculate my age, hahaha) and what this song reminds me of is my first year studying French at school. I went to a private school and in those days, you couldn’t choose which language you wanted to learn. We had to take both English and French. Since I had never had French lessons before I found it fascinating. I loved French then and I still do. I hope, one day, I manage to speak it fluently and be able to go to Paris and speak to people there as if I were a native speaker, oooh oui, oui, oui. C’est le plan.

Another song which brings back memories - not that happy - is “All star” by Smash Mouth. Those were the years I lived in the States, and in the late 90’s, Smash Mouth released this song. I remember I used to go to the lake near the town I was living, to have some time on my own. I felt homesick and lonely although I wasn’t alone. I missed my mountains in Chile – just like Heidi, “Girl of the Alps” hahaha. The thing is that, somehow, this song made me laugh and cheered me up.

Now, you have to write about

- What song or songs bring back memories in your mind

- What those memories are about

- When those events happened

- Who else was involved in those memories

- Mention anything else that you consider important