Aphorisms, thoughts, learnings...and more.

Vote for the best of them.

- Moaning only gives you more reasons to moan.  Change your mind and learn from the situation.

- Sit down. Breathe.  Look at the grass growing.

- Ask yourself: What do I need of this situation?

"The Impossible" is possible

The Impossible is the dramatic story of the Bennett´s family, directed by J. A. Bayona in 2012.

It is adapted from a radio interview, listened by chance by the director, in which María Belon told her experience in the tsunami and how her family and herself could have survived.

            The story is set in Thailand in 2004.  The Bennett´s family is holidaying in a resort during Christmas, and are shown as the perfect parents and their equivalent perfect three sons.  While an awkward conversation is made about future plans, in the middle of a paradisiacal pool, a gigant wave cuts short thousands of lives and shakes others up.  As a consequence, Maria (Naomi Watts) suffers stunning shocks beside her eldest son Lucas (Tom Holland).  Miraculously, they survive.

On the other hand, this miracle is followed by devastation, the feelings of isolation and the wounds.  María has half of her leg scrapped off and the infection starts to make trouble.  So the decide to find help to move them to a crowded hospital.

Meanwhile, Henry (Ewan McGregor) puts his two sons in the care of other people in order to look for his soulmate and eldest son, through the devastation.

            As far as the plot is concerned, I find it moving and totally absorbing, but quite predictable, because you know the end of the story. 

The staggering special effects make you feel as you are drowning beside María in this filthy water, plenty of daily-use objects.

The soundtrack helps to create an atmosphere of isolation including some dots of hope.

Regarding the script, it is contrived in the aspects concerned to coincidences, making the impossible become possible, although, there is no doubt regarding the thought-provoking aspects of the movie.

With respect to the performances, Naomi and Ewan made an absolutely powerful job, but I must highlight the spectacular acting of Tom Holland.

            Taking everything into account, The Impossible is a predictable film with stunning special effects that shake your way of seeing life up.  It´s well worth seeing again and again, in order to remember the important things of life.

Something to think about...

Maybe, we are losing the perspective.

EASTER HOLIDAYS IN ZANZIBAR (2016)

Here you have the details of our next trip to improve your English skills. You have the opportunity to get involved in other culture, improve speaking skills, and relax in a magnificient environment.

We have booked a charter flight from Malaga to Zanzibar City at 5a.m., 20^th of March. Because of the flight, we must take the bus at 1a.m. from the stop in front of the School of Languages.  In addition, you must notice that we must stop in Amsterdam and Nigeria, in order to full the flight. So, it is expected to step on Zanzibar Airport the day after, 21^st of March.

The way back will be 27^th of March, in a charter flight from Zanzibar City to Málaga, with stops in Nigeria and Amsterdam, again. So, we´ll be in Malaga on Monday, 28^th of March.

Furthermore, we have booked an all-in package including B&B accommodation in Zanzibar City and the transfers from the Airport to the accommodation, because of the early hours of the flights.

Next, you can look over the scheduled activities at Zanzibar:

Sunday, 20th March	1am School of Languages 5am Malaga Airport to Zanzibar Airport
Monday, 21st March	1am Zanzibar Airport Transfers 3am Check-in B&B Rest and sleep (if you can) Sightseeing Stone Town I:             -The Old Dispensary             -Livingstone´s House             -The House of Wonders             -The Peace Memorial Museum             -Bazaar Free time
Tuesday, 22nd March	Sightseeing Stone Town II:            - The Arab Fort             -Market             -Carved doors guided tour Free time
Wednesday, 23rd March	Nungwi: fishing village.  Guided tour and meeting with craftsmen of dhows Scuba-diving/ snorkelling/relax on the beach
Thursday, 24th March	Crossing day to Prison/Changu (offshore island):             -Aldabra tortoises             -Visit the jail Sightseeing Stone Town at Night
Friday, 25th March	The Jozani Natural Forest Reserve. Guided Tour (prepare your cameras!) Free time
Saturday, 26th March	Kizimbaki: fishing village             -12th century mosque The Rock Restaurant : reservation at 3pm Free time
Sunday, 27th March	12pm Check-out B&B Transfers 15pm Zanzibar Airport to Malaga Airport
Monday, 28th March	10am School of Languages

Specific activities in order to improve your English skills:

-         - Functional language in every travel activity, such as the airport, the check-in and check-out of the B&B. It would be useful as long as the accommodation is not full board, and all of us have the three-time-eating habit per day, minimum.

We are going to move from town to town by public transport (another opportunity to develop your speaking skills)

-        -  Brainstorming session every  day at 23pm at the lobby (compulsory activity)  In order to make a better journey, everybody has to talk with the locals and look into the best way to move and worthy restaurants to eat, in the place where we are going to visit next day.  Every day at 23pm, we´ll have a meeting in order to organize in advanced the day after, with your investigations about the places. 

TRAVELLER OR TOURIST, that´s the question.

Taking every opinion of the link into account, I believe tourists and travellers do the same thing but in different ways, which depend on their personality (for instance, being or not being afraid of not controlling the accomodation, where will they go tomorrow, and so on)

Travellers like to get involved of the culture, the locals, the gastronomy, through an open mind and an unlimited period of time (or the way of use it).

Tourists are more controller than travellers, and like to wrapped up their trips, in order to don´t waste a minute of their limit time.

A must-visit country

Éire-Ireland is the country I must visit someday before I die.   I can´t explain what captivates my soul of this country exactly... Maybe its light and greenness, or its traditional music and Guinness... These are wonderful reasons to visit it.
The Celtic Heritage, the preserved medieval castles and the breathtaking landscape and natural wonders are on the top of a sightseeing.
Even more, movies and tv series have been set in this stunning place of the world.

"TREE OF HOPE, REMAIN STRONG"

         “Tree of Hope, Remain Strong” is a painting by Frida Khalo, created in 1946, asa portrait of herself for her patrón, Eduardo Morillo

This duality portrait shows the recent surgery of its author and what her feelings were.

The painting is composed of two parts: night and day, and two Fridas.  In the foreground, a convalescent Frida shows us her injured bloody back, lying on a hospital bed. 

Before her, other Frida, sitting in a big wooden chair and dressed in a Tehuana costume, grabs our attention.  This healthy Frida is holding a pink orthopedic corset in her left hand (she must use it for a long time). In the other hand, she is holding a flag in which are written these words in red: “Arbol de la Esperanza, Mantente Firme”, from the song “Cielito Lindo”.

These two Fridas are static characters in an isolated and devastated background.  Indeed, the landscape has two fissures, what symbolize the wounds on her back.

The artist uses the dualism of the Mexican mythology as an inspiration and as her way of life. 

The lied and feeble body is looking to the sun, what eats blood of human victims, as the Mexican mythology says.  She feels as a victim of a botched surgery.

The moon, femininity symbol, connects with the flourishing Frida, who feels full of hope, and sets herself up as the heroic survivor.

The fact of putting two Frida´s images together is an act of faith, meaning that Frida takes charge of her destiny and become her own saver and hero.

Frida Khalo is one of my favourite painters because of the passion and violent reality that shows her work.  This picture remains me that I am my only saver, nobody else could help me if I don´t help myself first.  No matter what have happened in the past, you would always see the future in a better way.

Grownup behavior

Just me, myself and I...

                Although my mother´s whish was to call me Maria Teresa as her own mother, finally I was named Carmen, as my mother and my grandmother. 

The date and place of my birth was two years and six months after my only sibling exactly, in a hospital of Granada.  Precisely because of that, we are symmetric twins, like yin and yang.

That´s how my life began,  but it happened too many years ago, nearly 34.

Nowadays, I´m unemployed.   At  the same time, I´m looking for any type of job, even as a nursery school teacher (that´s what I studied), whereas I take care of my 20-month-old son and do the housework.

I invest my free time reading or going out with my family and friends.

Looking at the future, I wish I would get a well-paid job wherever, which allows myself enjoying time with my son.

Getting a job is one the reasons for me to study English, but I must admit I like learning languages and I have a slogan: “ you must finish what you began”, so here I am.

From my point of view, the aspects I enjoy most of English are listening and learning new vocabulary.  These aspects and others were very useful when I visited Amsterdam, five years ago.  It was an exciting journey and I enjoyed the fact of being able to communicate with other people.

Concerning my hobbies, I love reading, which provides me the way to live other people lives or stories, visit other places or amuse myself learning new ways of being.  I have been reading some new-age books, even metaphysics books, but at this moment I am into medieval fiction books. I´ve just begun “A song of ice and fire”, which means that I have read “Game of Thrones” and I am going to begin with “A clash of Kings”.

With reference to cinema, it is a luxury activity that I can´t afford at this moment, although I like watching films on TV. I enjoy all kind of films except horror ones.

Regarding music, I usually listen to music everywhere at everytime, from  soundtracks to pop music, for instance “Efecto Pasillo”, or any kind of uplifting song.

I´m good at listening to other people, putting in order things and concentrating for doing yoga.  On the other hand, I´m not good at remembering things, doing sports in general and explaining what bothers me without getting angry.

In general, I need peaceful places in order to calm down my mind and don´t drive myself mad, so I try to walk along the sea parade of Torrenueva (where I live) and enjoy the movement of the waves.  Another calming place for me is my desk and, of course, my sofa (I love it)

Lastly, talking of people, I like my husband because of his vitality and capacity of seeing the positive aspects of everything; not forgetting my son and nephew who show me how to be an improved version of myself .

Steve Jobs, Mandela and William Wallace, are people that I admire because of their fights against adversity.

PARENTS...

Last night, I watched on TV the film "The Road" and I have found this picture on the Internet today.  I feel this two situations are related. What do you think?