International Laughter Day

Victor Borge said "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people" and he was absolutely right, don't you agree? I think we have spent really good moments by laughing together along this year and I hope to keep doing it.

Today is another "International Day". This time "World Laughter Day". And this year seems to be our "must-days". Here's a bit of its origins.

The first World Laughter Day was held on January 11, 1998, in Mumbai, India by the creator of Laughter Yoga, Dr Madan Kataria, with the objective of laughing for World Peace. A huge success, the date was later changed to the first Sunday in May and has been observed every year since. There are Laughter Clubs in over 60 countries which meet and laugh at around midday, sending a massive wave of laughter all over the world.

Here's a flash mob where you can notice the different stages in a good fit of laughter.

It is clear that laughter unites us and is universally understood – it connects people, breaks down barriers and promotes positivity, better health and happiness.

But ... what makes you laugh nowadays? A joke? A performance? A person's fall in the snow?

Your classmates' mistakes? Write down anything you may usually laugh at and improve your health and mind.

MAYBE WE CAN HELP

After a few weeks without any entries, here we go again. This time with the help of one of your classmates; Elena, from the second year of the Advanced Level, who has been extremely kind to collaborate with our class blog.

Even when everybody could think that Physiotherapy is a new therapy, the truth is that it has existed since human beings  are in this world. It hasn't been recognised, as a profession apart from doctors and nurses,  until thirty years ago, when it started to be a university degree in Spain. Nowadays, a lot of people are still a little confused about us and it would be interesting for you if you are aware of what a physiotherapist can do for you and, even more important, what we cannot do.

It is well-known that films and TV can be a useful way of making it known, and I have selected a movie, that I’m sure almost everybody knows, just to remind you of the physiotherapy part. Regarding Henry with Harrison Ford, a lawyer who is shot and needs help to come back to his life after losing his speech and mobility. Here is the trailer where you can do two minutes of listening. Of course, you can see the entire film in English online but I am sure everybody knows where. 

 

 

Neurology is a field not very well-known as part of my job however, it is more and more needed every day. Traffic accidents, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy.... We are going to take cerebral palsy as an example of what physiotherapists are ready to do. This is a disorder occurred near the moment of birth. For any reason (there are several causes) the motor development is not how it must be and that creates the disability of movement. The affected can have other damages such as vision and speech problems, learning disabilities, epilepsy...The extension of the lesions will depend on the location and degree of brain damage.  However, it  is demonstrated that with the appropriate treatment, it goes much better helping, in some cases, until the completely integration of the child in the society. In this fight, against the unfair, a lot of experts are working in what we call multidisciplinary teams.

This video is the sweetest one I’ve found in order not to offend someone, although the reality is not so sweet and easy, the video shows you how Physiotherapist´s world works.

Take it as an example of when we can help.

                

 

And now... did you know what a physiotherapist can do for you? Have you ever needed one? Was that a good or bad experience? Do you remember any other films related to physiotherapists? 

Thanks, Elena, and congratulations for you work. Undoubtedly, physiotherapists do a great job. It must be extremely rewarding to see your patients' progresses every day. 

OK, guys, now it's your turn!!!

International Kissing Day

“A kiss is just a kiss”, this verse from the popular song “As Time Goes By” could not describe what most of us feel when we kiss somebody. Whether you agree or disagree with me, a kiss is a good way to express your love, friendship or attachment for somebody.

I like kissing but obviously, I cannot deny having been reticent to kisses in the past for several reasons – perhaps when you are a child and your parents push you to kiss people you don’t feel any kind of fondness for, just to set an example.

Today, The International Kissing Day is a good opportunity to evoke some of the best kisses we may have ever had, such as our mother’s pure kiss, our first kiss of love, those morning kisses or maybe a goodbye kiss, …

The film industry is “plagued” with good kisses, unforgettable ones. A few days ago, we mentioned some of them when writing about films (check the comments to the entry “Mystery is all around”). Well, if there is a kiss I especially like is the one photographed by Alfred Eisenstaedt in Times Square, New York and published in Life Magazine in 1945.

VJ Day in Times Square

 

As hard as it is to believe, this may well have been a spontaneous kiss or maybe the photographer was clearly aware of the success this kiss would have worldwide. The contrast between the dark clothes of the sailor and the white dress of the nurse is deliberate, in my opinion. But, whether it was carefully prepared or not, the photographer achieved his goal. He seems to invite us to join in the celebration. Ooops, I forgot to tell you that this romantic kiss is due to the celebration of the definitive end of World War II. Everybody was happy and relieved that day.

To tell you the truth, I keep this photo in my bedroom and it makes me feel upbeat when I look at it. In case, you want to find out more about the story behind the photo, click here.

By the way, people in the UK have two days to celebrate kissing –the thirteenth of April and the sixth of July. What do you think?

Now, it’s your turn. Are there any special kisses you want to share? 

From some photos, film scenes, commercials or advertisements or even kisses in songs, …??? Don’t miss the opportunity to do it!

Meanwhile, … I'll blow you all a kiss!

 

The 5-minute Personal Reflection

From time to time, it's extremely good to stop and think about what we are and what we do, what we would like to do or have done and lots of other personal reflections. Let's reflect upon ourselves for five minutes.

This is me! 

And this is my five-minute personal reflection:

 

A phrase I use too often is …

“Do you understand?” and “No” is the most usual word that you can hear coming out of my mouth.

I wish people would take more notice of …

The importance of beauty in our world. We should teach the future generations to appreciate the good and beautiful things around us.

The most surprising thing that happened to me was …

When I got my driving licence, and nearly after a decade, I learnt how to drive a car.

I’m good at …

Teaching English in a funny way, or at least, I try it! ;-)

My job is a big part of who I am.

I’m very bad at …

Handicraft, because it requires a lot of patience and a careful skill in the use of the hands –the sort of things that I don’t really have. I’m totally lousy at it.

The ideal night out is …

Time spent in the company of the people I love. For instance, the last time I had dinner at an Italian restaurant and then had some drinks in the “you-must-pay-a-visit-to” top pubs in Salamanca.

You know me as a teacher but in another life I’d have been …

A teacher. I can’t think of myself doing a different job but this.

The best age to be is …

Now. I don’t usually look back in desperation. Nowadays, I’m enjoying the moment I’m living, that’s all.

In weak moments I …

Need to have a confident person near me who can hold my hand as well as having faith in the people around me.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this:

“If you really will a thing, that thing will be.” My Swiss friend, Stephan, told me that years ago and it definitely works.

Now it's your turn! Leave your reflections about you.

 

(This entry is based on a proposed activity in unit 7 from the book English Unlimited Intermediate, Cambridge University Press.)

LIKE versus AS

 

As you have told me a lot of times that you find difficult to distinguish these two words, here's a bit of explanation and practice.

Like is used:

• for similarities.

-         My sister swims like a fish.

• after feel, look, smell, sound, taste and a noun.

-         I wish my skin felt like silk.

• with nouns, pronouns or the –ing form to express similarity or contrast.

-         There’s no place like home.

-         Nobody can drive like him.

As is used:

• to say what somebody or something really is.

-         I work as a teacher. (I’m a teacher.)

-         Pierce Brosnan was fantastic as James Bond.

• in certain expressions: as usual, as … as, as much, such as, the same as, …

-         My pupils complained about the homework as usual.

• after accept, be known, class, describe, refer to, regard, use.

-         Margaret Thatcher was known as “The Iron Lady”.

• in clauses of manner with the meaning of “in the way that”.

-         Do as you are told.

Now let’s practise a little bit. What would you use in the following sentences?

The key is in the first comment. Click and check.

1. A: How can I complete these sentences?

B: Do them _____ I taught you.

2. A: What kind of meat is it?

B: I don’t know. It tastes _____ pork.

3. A: I’m sure I know that woman over there.

B: Me too. She looks _____ my old English teacher.

4. A: I wish he would stop being so immature.

B: I agree with you. He acts _____ a child sometimes.

5. A: Bruce Springsteen is a great singer.

B: He’s known _____ one of the greatest rock musicians of our time.

6. A: I’ve just bought a new pair of shoes.

B: Gosh! They’re exactly the same _____ the ones I bought yesterday!

7. A: What’s his job?

B: I think he works _____ a plumber.

8. A: Shakira is amazing, isn’t she?

B: Yeah. No one else can sing and dance _____ her.

 

Is it clearer now? Don’t forget to check the key and continue practising.

 

Mystery is all around

Since I was a child, I used to enjoy watching films on TV or being taken to the cinema to see a good one in the company of my father and sister, most of the times. I must confess that I became sort of hooked on films and the stories behind them so whenever there was a film on TV late at night, I reluctantly submitted to go to bed.

As we have been talking about plot devices which help develop great stories, we can undoubtedly highlight the figure of Alfred Hitchcock, who was the master in creating suspense and made us stick to our chairs from the very beginning of a film to its end.

It would be an extremely difficult issue to decide on a single film that I could consider my favourite one –there are lots of them and for various reasons. But just to name a few:

The Birds and Psycho for being such hair-raising films that I’ve never been able to see again –I saw The Birds at the age of 10 and I’m still scared.

The Man Who Knew Too Much and Rear Window for those intriguing moments James Stewart made us live.

North by Northwest or Vertigo as the nail-biting suspense masterpieces and the ones you can become scared stiff.

Marnie and Rebecca, two women’s names for two romantic stories.

To Catch A Thief and Dial M for Murder, where we can appreciate Grace Kelly's innately elegant style. 

The Trouble with Harry as the funniest one.

The list is endless: Jamaica Inn, The 39 Steps, Torn Curtain, Shadow of A Doubt, The Paradine Case, Rope, … In all these films we can note the plot devices we’ve been checking lately –the plot voucher, the locked room, the MacGuffin, deus ex machina, … Alfred Hitchcock perfectly knew what he was doing. And here’s a video with one of his special characteristics. What was it?

I must admit to a certain fondness for a film which, by the way, we mentioned in class some days ago, and that’s why I’ll comment on a classic, another Alfred Hitchcock’s “must” that immediately springs to my mind, Rebecca.

As you may know, Rebecca was a film adaptation of the namesake novel by Daphne du Maurier. Two years after having written her story (1938) achieved her greatest recognition through this outstanding film, which won two Oscars (Best Film and Best Picture) despite having been nominated in 11 categories.

I won’t tell you much of the plot in case you still haven’t seen it. However incredible it may sound,  the secret of its success relies on the following facts. The whole story is told by a naïve young woman (Joan Fontaine) whose name we never know, and only when she marries Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier), a handsome and rich widower, she becomes, of course, Mrs de Winter. However, this causes confusion since there are constant references to the first Mrs de Winter, Rebecca, who seemed to be the narrator’s counterpart and who everyone thought had drowned in the sea near Manderley, the old mansion where they live. Throughout 130 minutes, the past becomes the present, and the omnipresent Rebecca together with the diehard, her devoted housekeeper, Mrs Danvers (Judith Anderson) rule the whole film in a dramatically tense atmosphere.

It was such an impact the one created by the main character that here in Spain, we started naming the cardigan Joan Fontaine wore as “rebeca”.

Well, I think Rebecca is a film you can’t miss.

All in all, I’ve always liked films and all the industry around them –actors and actresses, directors, stories behind the film scenes, clothes and props, … Not only because they make you live and dream of other experiences by being in the main character’s shoes, but also because you can always learn something new or, at least, realise how different the world can be.

So, it’s your turn now! Which blockbusters can you think of now? Do you feel like writing about a film or a book you waxed euphoric about?

Go ahead!!! All your comments are welcome.

International Happiness Day

Last 20th of March, we celebrated the first International Happiness Day. This day has been established to promote the idea that all human beings seek happiness and it is a goal that all the governments should take into account when designing their political and socio-economic policies.

This initiative to declare a day of happiness came from Bhutan, the birthplace of the concept of the Gross National Happiness Index (GNH), which rejects the sheer use of economic and material wealth as an indicator of development rather than a more holistic outlook, where spiritual well-being of citizens and communities is given much more importance and influence.

Therefore, if we had to decide or measure our degree of happiness, what would you say? I'd say I'm definitely happy. Check some answers to this question by clicking here. 

Marcus Aurelius said "The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." What do you think? 

Undoubtedly, getting up every morning and fight for our life seems to be exceedingly difficult nowadays, but instead of blaming society or even ourselves for it,  we have to count our blessings and try to help ourselves so as to be able to help others achieve this goal. But, do we have the possibility of being happy inside us? Is it a question of attitude and way of thinking or not? Is the way society has developed what makes us feel unhappy?

Common, guys, smile, think a little bit and leave your comments.