One question...

Fifty People, One Question: New Orleans from Benjamin Reece on Vimeo.

Before the end of today, What would you wish to happen?

I watched this video on TV some time ago. Finally, I could find it at the Internet.

I believe this is a wonderful idea.

We always think that we are different from each other, but deep inside we want almost the same, almost all the time.

"One question fifty people", , exploring humans connections through people and places...

Just great!

Romanticism...

Many people say that romanticism is dead. It is an old thing... From the past century...

I do not mind waht these people say. On the contrary, I believe that every woman would die of love if they recieve a love poem....

Just like this...

I carry your heart with me


I carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)

I am never without it
(anywhere I go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

I fear no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)

I want no world (for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the budand the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

EE Cummings

Why should anyone be led by you?

This is not a post promoting London Business School, althought, it is worldwide wellknown. But I really like the content of this commercial. I believe that a lider should know him/herself, have a vision and a purpose...
Why should anyone be led by you?
Really, not easy question to answer...
Only those with clear sight and self knowlege could reply it properly.

French...

Songs in French are as beautiful as in English and as in Spanish...
Just listen to this song sung by Jairo and his son.
Beautiful...

There's always gonna be another mountain...

Just keep pushing on...

It's the Climb

I can almost see it
That dream i’m dreaming but
There’s a voice inside
My head saying
You’ll never reach it

Every step i’m taking
Every move i make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking
But i , gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna to make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes i’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast i get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side............

It’s a climb

The struggles i’m facing
The chances i’m taking
sometimes might knock me down, but
No i’m not breaking
I may not know it but
these are the moments that
I’m going to remember most

Yeah
Just got to keep going
And i ... I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on...

Cause There’s always gonna be another mountain
always going to want to make it move
always going to be an uphill battle
sometimes you going to have to lose
ain’t about how fast i get there
ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side....

It’s a climb

Link to You Tube Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU7tV4GCmWw

I am Me...

“I am Me. In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine, because I alone chose it -- I own everything about me: my body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes. Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know -- but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and ways to find out more about me. However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought, and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do. I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me. I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay.”

Virginia Satir

American Psychologist and Educator

1916 - 1988

English through songs...

The people I like... by M. Benedetti.

I like the people that vibrate, that don’t need to be pushed, that you don’t have to tell them to do stuff, because they know what needs to be done and just do it.

I like the people that cultivate their dreams until those dreams take over their own reality.

I like the people that are able to face the consequences of their actions, people that risk what’s true for what’s uncertain to go after a dream, people that allow themselves to run from “sensitive advice” leaving solutions in the hands of our father God.

I like the people that are fair with their own people and themselves, people that are thankful for each new day, the good things existing in their life, people who live every hour with good enthusiasm giving their best, thankful for being alive, for being able to give smiles, for being able to offer their hands and help kindly, waiting for nothing in return.

I like the people that are capable of criticizing me constructively and up front, but without hurting me. People with tact.

I like the people with sense of justice. These are the people I call my friends.

I like the people that acknowledge the importance of joy and preaches about it.

I like the people that with jokes teach us to conceive life with humor.

I like the people that never stop being childish.

I like the people that are sincere and honest, capable of opposing with reasonable arguments to anyone’s decisions.

I like the people that are loyal and persistent, that fight tirelessly for their goals and ideas. I like people with criteria, that are never ashamed of recognizing a mistake or recognizing ignorance about something.

People that, when accepting their mistakes, genuinely make an effort not to make them again.

People that fight against adversities. People that look for solutions. People that think and meditate. People that value their equals not by a social stereotype or how they look. People that don’t judge and don’t let others judge. I like people with personality.

People capable of understanding that humanity’s biggest mistake is to try to get out of their head something that won’t go out of their heart.

Sensitivity, courage, solidarity, kindness, respect, peace, values, joy, humility, faith, happiness, tact, trust, hope, gratitude, wisdom, dreams, regret, and love for others and oneself are fundamental things to be called PEOPLE.

With people like this, I can commit to anything for the rest of my life, because just by having them next to me, I consider myself well rewarded.

Impossible to win without learning to lose.
Impossible to walk without learning to fall.
Impossible to be right without knowing to be wrong.
Impossible to live without knowing to revive.
Glory doesn’t consist in never falling, but in getting up whenever’s necessary.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING VERY FEW PEOPLE HAVE THE PRIVILEDGE TO EXPERIMENT.

Blessed are those who have received with the same naturalness winning or losing, right or wrong, triumph and defeat.

This is what I call...

Self-esteem

'No matter what you say or do to me,

neither what you think about me....

Beyond all,

I will always bright'

Everybody has one of those days...

even me...

Digital Learners...

Something to think about the new generation of learners and its teachers.
Very interesting video.

Discovering a new language..

Last night, I was thinking how amazing is to discover a language. I believe this is one of the most important reasons I like English. I love discovering English. Every new word, every new meaning, new idea, new concept is like a world itself. It open my mind widely and make me see new and more views.

The same happens with Spanish. Although I am an Spanish native speaker, I love discovering my own language too. The spanish literature, the poetry, the combination of words, the methaphoras.... Spanish as a language has such a rich vocabulary that it will never stop to atonish us. Discovering every new word and meaning is a wonderful gift.

Having said all that, I think that the most wonderful fact of everything is the act of Discovering.

Tip for Better Life Nº 8: Laugh ...

When you are sad, when you feel lonely, when you are angry, upset or dissapointed, just remember there is a powerful and magical medecine: the laugh.

and if you do not find any reason to laugh, just watch these videos because I am sure they are going to help you.

The Laugh Therapy

and your day will shine again!

Aren´t they cute???

And please, don´t tell me they didn´t make you laugh!

hahahah

Have you ever been in Customer Service? Read this...

"I'm the man who goes to a restaurant, seats patiently on his table while a maître does everything but my request.

I'm the man who goes into a store and waits patiently, in silence, while the salesman finishes their private conversations.

I'm the man that goes in a gas station and never blows your horn, but waits patiently while the worker finishes the reading of his newspaper.

I'm the man that when comes into a store, looks like if I was just asking a favor. Waiting for a smile or just waiting to be noticed.

I'm the man whose comes into a bank and waits calmly that the workers finish their talks with their work partners... and I wait.

I'm the man that explains desperate the urgency of some car piece, but without complain, waiting patiently while the workers had their talk between them selves or they just pretend that you're not there, looking for the other side.

You might be thinking that I'm the calm, patiently person and that never wants to cause any problem.

You're mistake.

Do you know who am I?

I'm the client that will never come back again!

I enjoy myself seeing millions to be expended in publicity, just to bring me back to their stores.While when I was there for first time, all what I had need was a simply smile. Just needed someone to be gentle. So cheap. Just to give me some more Courtesy!"

Speech from Sam Walton,

WAL MART creator,

doing a trainer program introduction

to his workers

Tip for Better Life Nº7: Love & Dependency

"If being loved is your goal, you will fail to achieve it. The only way to be assured of being loved is to be a person worthy of love, and you cannot be a person worthy of love when your primary goal in life is to passively be loved"

M. Scott Peck.

The Road Less Travelled.

One memorable day...

Do you remember what exactly you were doing one day like today but last year?

When something important happened to you, it is burnt into your memory and heart for ever.

I never forgot what I did on 30th June, 2008. I could remember every detail since I woke up till the day ended...

Such a unforgettable day... just check my blog: June, 30th 2008

All the details are kept in my heart!

Blog exchanging....

If I am not writing here, it might be because I am writing somewhere else...

I have another Blog about Step Aerobics...

I am an Step Aerobics´s Fan.

However, this blog is in Spanish.

If you want to take a look, you are more than welcome

http://stepvivo.blogspot.com.

If you do not find me here, you can find me there!

I will be back soon!

Euge

Entrepreneurs can change the world...

Nice ad.

Borrowed from You tube.

Main Source: http://grasshopper.com/

Blockbuster, the movies and the emotional memory

It has been a long long time since I went to rent a movie at Blockbuster for the last time. When the VHS and DVDs bumped into the market, Blockbuster became very popular and its branches were all accross the city. However, when the fakes Cds appeared in the market and the Internet gives us the chance to download movies for free, I wondered “Is it worthy that Blockbuster exist?”

When I went into Blockbuster, it seemed to me that I was visiting a kind os “Movies´ Museum”. What kind of movie format will be available in 10 years from now? I wondered and I just had a flashforward of me in which I was at the store with my two kids who were asking: “how did you use that round thing mom, how could you watch movies from them?” ...Lol... The same questions we ask right now to our parents and grandparents... lol Certainly, technological development make us feel old.

Going back to Blockbuster...If we can get some movies for a few couples of pounds or even for free, who rent a movie nowadays? Fortunately, many peope still do.
Although Blockbuster could be seen like a old fashioned way to get movies, it still has its advantages. For example, at Blockbuste you can find all those no-hollywood movies that it is hard to find anywhere else. Moreover, we do not have any other place where to find the classicals. Cassanova, Cinema Paradiso, When Harry meets Sally, etc.. can be borrowed from Blockbuster only.


The old movies! What a time! Lol.. while I was checking all the corridors and the sections, many memories came up to my mind. I could clearly divided the movies between “seen and not seen”. There were periods in my life when I used to rent millions movies. Many of them really good, others not really. But what was amazing about my visit to Blockbuster is that when I saw the case of a movie that I watched some time ago, I could remember not only the plot itself but also, where, when and with whom I had watched that movie!. What amazing way to go back to the past! I thought! What amazing way to realize how powerful is our emotional memory.

From now and on, I believe that visiting Blockbuster would be a good idea to remind us of good all times!

A beehive in my heart...

(...)
Last night,
as I was sleeping,
I dreamt blessed illusion
that I had a beehive
inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making
white combs and sweet honey
out of all my bitterness and failures.

(...)

Last night,
as I was sleeping,
I dreamt blessed illusion
that it was God that I had
here inside my heart.

By Antonio Machado,
Spanish poet.

This idea of "all the bees" that can make from all the bitterness and failures, white combs and sweet honey.

This idea of "make something good" with all the bad that has happened to you...it´s a blessed idea.

Start an epidemic...

... of enthusiasm :)

A like the way these words are put together. I like the combination of them. It makes them sound really powerful.

From the 4Ps to the 4Cs ... just a different side of view.

We used to focus all the Marketing Analysis from the point of you of the company: The wellknown 4Ps:

*Product

*Price

*Place

*Promotion.

Now, it has changed. It´s the time of the costumer right now. A costumer fit focus. So, we started to talk about the 4Cs:

*Consumer wants and needs.

*Cost to satisfy

*Convinience to buy

*Communication

The 4 Cs, a more customer oriented analysis.

Some Marketing Notes...

I took a Marketing course Last month. Here, there are some ideas that I highligthed. .

THE AIM OF MKT

1. To convert Desires into Needs.

Marketing starts from people´s NEEDS and DESIRES. Needs and desires depend on people´s perceptions, culture and reality. They are totally subjective and varible.
What´s the different between a need and a desire? When we NEED something, we need it because we do not have it. There is a feeling of lack and emptyness. And if we don´t satisfy that emptyness, a kind of tension or disrupting feeling arise. On the other hand, when we WISH something, when you have a DESIRE, we might not achieve it but no tension will appear because of it.
The tension between what we need and what we have is what make us to act. ACTION. A need makes as to move forward. We have only two options: or we achieve what we need or we forget about it and go down our expectations.
The aim of Marketing is to convert DESIRES into NEEDS and to generate that “TENSION” that makes people to ACT to get what they want. If the need is backuped by money, we get the DEMAND.
Marketing converts DESIRES into NEEDs. People demand what I am offering because I made them feel they need it.

2. To seed a Good Customer Relationship.

When a costumer comes for the first time to our shop to satisfy his/her need, he/she is getting a full service/sale expirience. If she/he is satisfied with the product and the service given by the salesperson and company, he/she will be como back when he/she has a new need.

In addition to a good shop experience, to see a good customer relationship includes to know when the brithday of your customer is or when she/ he is having a baby, etc..

What happen if for any reason the customer get uppset with the selling process? Well, in this case, to recover or mantein a good relationship, the salesperson should the following three things:
1. Accept that a mistake was comitted. Recognize the mistake.
2. Try to compensate it. Find a solution that favours the client.
3. Assure him/her that it will not happen again and make sure that it will not happen again.

There is no future for a company that make the same mistake again and again against customer´s satisfaction.

HOW TO MANAGE MARKETING.

There is s famous quote that says: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. Planification is the first step of every succesful project. Marketing needs an strategic plan, as well.

An Strategic Marketing Plan includes:

*Vision : How do you see your company in 20/50 years from now?
*Mision: What will I do to chieve that vision?
*Objetives: What do I want to do? (something measurable in time and quantity)
*SWOT Analysis (Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threateness)
*Environment: competitors, suppliers, logistics, clients.
*Context: economic, political, social, cultural situation.


AIDA
*Attention
*Interest
*Desire
*Action

Marketing, Advertisement, Public Relations and Branding...

Did you catch the difference?

20 Marketing Principles...

1. The Marketing programs that succeed are built over trends not novelties.
2. Marketing is not a fight of products, it is a war of perceptions.
3. It is better to be the first than to be the best.
4. If you cannot be the first in one category, you should create a new category where you can be the first.
5. It is better to be the first in the customer´s mind than in the selling point.
6. The most important principle in every marketing strategy is to have ONE WORD in people´s mind.
7. Two companies cannot have the same word in people´s mind.
8. The strategy to apply depends on the place you occupy in the ladder.
9. The price is always in the customer´s mind. The costumer establish the price according to the value he/she gives to the product or service.
10. In the course of time, each market become a race between only 2 participants.
11. If you choose to be the second, your strategy will be determined by the leader.
12. In the course of time, one category will divide into 2 or more categories.
13. Marketing is a long term issue.
14. There is some irrestible pressure that leads us to the expansion of the brand.
15. You always have to give something in order to get something else.
16. For every feature, there is an opposite one as effective as the first.
17. When you admitt something negative from your part, the potential customer will give you something positive.
18. In each situation, only one move might produce important outcomes.
19. Success is always behind arrogancy and arrogancy will lead you to failure.
20. The failure should be expected and accepted.

Notes taken in a Marketing Course.

Tips for a better life Nº 6: How to cope with worries.

Fundamental facts you should know about worry by Dale Carnegie

1. If you want to avoid worry, do what Sir William Osler did: Live in "day-tight compartments." Don't stew about the futures. Just live each day until bedtime.


2. The next time Trouble--with a Capital T--backs you up in a corner, try the magic formula of Willis H. Carrier:

• Ask yourself, "What is the worst that can possibly happen if I can't solve my problem?


• Prepare yourself mentally to accept the worst--if necessary.


• Then calmly try to improve upon the worst--which you have already mentally agreed to accept.

3. Remind yourself of the exorbitant price you can pay for worry in terms of your health. "Those who do not know how to fight worry die young."

'Twenty Four Crowded Hours a Day"'

"If you observe a really happy man, you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his child, growing double dahlias or looking for dinosaur eggs in the Gobi Desert. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that had rolled under the radiator, striving for it as a goal in itself. He will have become aware that he is happy in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours of each day."

W. Beran Wolfe

Source: http://www.nlp.ie/

Time To Talk!

When you are learning english, the speaking skill is one of the hardest to achieve. We learn quicky how to read and to listen and comprehend, but when it is our turn to talk, we feel like if our tongue is stuck. It is not easy but we need to practice.

Talk times is a really good space for that practice. A group of people meet in a cooffe shop every week to speak and talk in a foreign language about different topics. It is a really good place to practice speaking and gain confidence and fluency in English. You can also learn new vocabulary and phrases from your partners or improve your listening just paining attention at what is is being said.

A friend suggested going to Talk Time. I went. And it brought to me such a good memory. It reminds me of “Coffee Talks with Hanna”, one of student leader of YUELI. What a great activity! We spent a really nice time there!

Link: http://www.talktime.com.ar/

Mario Benedetti, 1920- 2009.

The book which I consider the best I have ever read was written by Benedetti. "La Tregua". I like his words, his thoughts, his mixture of daily routine and existencial thinking. He was a great author. He will be alive in all his poems for ever.

The Bell Curve

Some people feel that they are not the middle of the statistic´s curves but on the extremes.

Is it arrongancy?

Could be...

But..

We know that everyone is unique and unrepeatable.

That makes us stay at the extremes of the bell.

However,

we also know that

at the end...

we all are just a human being.

I believe that all along the course of our life, we can go from one point to the other many times

:)

I steal this idea of Bell Curve from: Juan Tonelli´s Blog . It´s in Spanish, but I like some of his posts.

British Creativity

Tree Power

Burst
Link or More Info: http://sheepfilms.co.uk/

I had a hunch.....

People always need reasons that justify their actions. They need an answer to every “why” question and they make an intellectual effort to understand it.
They mind it.

However, sometimes we just have a hunch....

Do we take into consideration it? When we are rationally involved, may be not.... but after a while we will realize that our heart was right...

Next time you have “that feeling”, take note of it...

Our heart is also wise .

The human face of globalization: 6 Billions Others´ Project

Who is in the other side of the world? How he/she thinks? How they live? What do we how in common? How we feel about...? Let´s see. There are 8 billions other out there. 8 Billions Others. We are not alone.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

The world has become global. What you do in Manhattan could affect Buenos Aires, Tokio or New Delhi. Business has being done globaly too. What is designed in France, it is made in Indonesia, China or Taiwan but it is finally sold everywhere worldwide. Pollution does not impact to a local community anymore. On the contrary, pollution of US, Europe or Latinamerica contributes to increase global warming, a real dangerous enviromental issue. Wars are still held in many places disabling human life development and organization and terrorism has become the new invisible enemy.

We are globalizated. No doubt about that. Internet and the communicational technologies has changed the size of the world. The world itself has become smaller but everybody´s own world and opportunities have increased. Now, we can go from one point of the globe to the other in a few hours, we can see what is going on in Siberia at real time and we can be in touch instanstaneously with all our contacts all around the world. We are extremely well communicated but do we really communicate to each other? What do we really know about the people that lives in the world, crossing our own boundaries?

We talked about business, enviroment, wars and techological advance. However, behind all these issues there are people. Why do not we talk about them? Where is the human face of globalization?

Here it is. 6 Billions Others.

6 Billions Others is a wonderful proyect made by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a wellknown french photographer, who wanted to see the world through the testimony of their inhabitants.

He travelled around the world asking people questions about life, love, chilhood, lessons, memories, etc.

He puts the humanity into the scene... and when you watch and see the different testimonies of people you do not know and live far away from your home, you realized that you are not actually so far, they think and feel just like you.

6 Billions Others makes us see that we cry or laugh at the same things and that we can learn a lot from each other. Experiences of life, wothy testimonies, a message to the world. Finally, someone showed the human face of globalization

Experiences...

Sometimes, we go through bad moments. Those moments that you would prefer to avoid or you would like that they never have happened to you. However, we are there, in the middle of a terrible situation, not knowing what to do, what to say or what to not say. Utterly confuse. But you are in the party, the music began and you must dance.

“What a bad expience”, I used to say. How I didn´t realize on time! I blamed myself. Why I didn´t make that decision earlier!

“Regreting about the past is useless”, a little voice that came from my deep inside, said. “You do not gain anything doing that. You cannot change the past. The only thing you can do is look forward”, the voice continued.

Moreover – my mind kept talking - “there is no such “bad” experience”. Experience is not good or bad. Experience is experience. You learn from it. You grow because of it.

There is not good or bad experiences, on the contrary, we can say that there is something good and something bad in all of them. The important thing is the final message, what you learnt from them.

The only source of knowledge is experience

Albert Einstein quotes
In youth we learn; in age we understand.

Marie Ebner-Eschenbach
Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.

Rodin
This is the way it just happens to be.

ZEN Quote

Art, art, I want you...

I am looking for a new hobbie. Something artistic, could be. Soemthing that disconnect my head and promote my creativity. In my search for new ideas, I found this.
Nice to see, nice to hear...

art
I wondered what would be the worth of my words in the world
if i write them and then recite them are they worth being heard
just because i like them does that mean i should mic them
and see what might unfurl

i think of the significance of my opinions here
is it significant to be giving them does anybody care
just because i'm into this does that mean i should live like it
and really do i dare

art, art i want you
art you make it pretty hard not too
and my heart is trying hard here to follow you
but i can't always tell if i ought to

so i pondered the point of my art in this life
if i make it will someone take it and think it's genuine
will they be glad that i did 'cause they got something good out of it
will they leave me and be any more inspired

i question the outcome of the outpouring of myself
if i tell everyone my stories will this keep me healthy and well
will it give me purpose, to this world some sort of service
is it worth it, how can i tell

art, art...

By Tanya Davis

Link: http://www.tanyadavis.ca/lyrics.html

The Electric Friends Generator! Really funny!

Look at the Computer machine!. LOL Really funny. Computersdid not exist in 1920 but if they would have existed, this could be an excellent representation! LOL, really funny

Facebook = Electric Friendship Generator.

Facebook Ethic Rules:

1. Don´t change your relationship status without consulting the other person.
2. Don´t post embarrasing photos of other people.
3. Be discreet when posting messages in another person´s wall.
4. Don´t steal other people´s friends.
5. Don´t start “Hate Groups”.
   

Be careful using Facebook
It is better to Face a Book instead! :)

Link: http://www.yourtango.com/

Dream, Dare, Be Patience and Try again, again ... and again.

This is a great video. Very inspirational.

I could not find it in English but I translate the text. Here it is. Hope you enjoy it.

When someones evolves, everything that is surrounded him evolves too.
When we try to be better than we actually are, everything that surrounds us gets better too.
You are free to choose,
To make decisions,
Despite of being the only one to understand them.
Make your decisions with courage,
Desprendimiento and, sometimes,
With a bit dosis of madness
We will only understand life and the universe
When we do not look for explanations.
And then, everything will be clear.
Learning something means getting in contact with an unknown world,
Where the simplest things are the most wonderful.
Dare to the change,
Challenge yourself,
Don´t be afraid of challenges,
Insist once and again and again
Remember that withouth faith,
You can loose a battle that it was seemed to be won,
Don´t give up.
Remember to know always whta you want.
And start again.
The secret is not to be afraid of making mistakes.
And to know that it is need to be humble to learn.
Be patience to find the right moment.
And congratulate yourself for your achievements.
And if this is not enough,
Analyse the causes
And try it again but stronger.
The world is on the hands of those who are capable of dream and to take the risk of living their dreams

The basis of selling process...

It is to know that there is someone out there that is needing what you have and to believe that what you have will be so useful, helpful, solver that will be benefit him/her.

The win to win basis needs to be clearly viewed.

You do not sell products, you sell benefits, solutions, help.

Birthdays...

May, 2nd 1983. I was celebrating my first year of life.


+++++++++++



May, 2nd 2009. I am still growing up :)

Dancing star

"One must have

chaos and frenzy

within oneself

to give birth

to a

dancing star"

Irvin Yalom at

"When Nietzsche Wept".

"Achieving your childhood dreams"... The last lecture of Raundy Pausch

I saw this video some time ago and for some reason it came to my mind today.

“The last lecture” is the name of the conference given by Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who was fighting against a fulminant cancer. In fron of a 400 people audience, he gave his last lecture called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.”

It is really inspirational. This video is on my “must be seen videos” list. If you have the chance to watch it completely, you will not regret. It is really worthy.

First Love...unforgettable...

Why the first love is so unforgettable?

This could be an answer:

"It is said that the first love has such force because we are surprised that someone has put his/her eyes on us".

While you haven ´t seen me, I do not exist. When you see me, you give me life. You recocognize me. You respect me. This is the basis of Zulu´s philosophy. The Zulu greeting is "Sawubona" which means "I see you" and the response is "Ngikhona" which means "I am here". Somehow, love works in the same way.

From the book "Love in small letters"

by Francesc Miralles

plus a bit explanation of Zulu´s philosophy :)

Colors....

I used to think that Life could be only Black or White. Two extremes. No middle positions. Either you are on one side or you are in the other. Mutually excluyent. Good or bad, right or wrong,




Then, when Istarted to grow up and I started knowing more about the world, I found that beyong black and white, there was a big scale of grey colors in the middle. Light grey, dark grey.... grey... Somehow good, somehow bad....

Finally, I realized that things and people are not grey neither black or white as I used to think. They are just black and white... yes, black and white, all together and at the same time. Good and bad, right and wrong...





Despite this, somedays, I just prefer watching life in bright and fully colors.

"Subtext"... Or what you write when you write...

Tales of mere existence are stories about a guy called Lev. Lev sees and lives life in a particular way. In an existencialist way, actually. What he told us and the way he told it to us is really funny.

In this video, called "Subtext" he is trying to write an email to a girl he met on a party and he wants to make a good impression of him. Which word should he use? Check the video. Hidden meanings or connotatios of words could be an enemy sometimes. So, be careful when you write and what you write... lol

Link: http://talesofmereexistence.com

Life is a serie of great events...

Life is a serie of great events that mark our path and take us out from the daily routine. They work as en electrocardiogram. They make your heart beat higher and faster.

Births, baptisms, birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, parties, seminars, conferences....

You can never imagine how important they are until either you protagonize them or you organize them...

Why is so important to plan this kind of event? I have only find an answer: they mark an “before and after” in your life, they make you feel that you are the protagonist and manager of your decisions.

Every event has its own and special meaning. You only have to define what they represent to you.

Sense of belonging...

We all need to feel part of something. The human being is a social animal. We look for being part, belonging, fitting in.

A family, a community, a club, a peer´s group, a job.... They are all spaces where we try to find connections. Sames values, same point of views, same way to do things, same ethical patterns. May be we will not have everything in common, but at least a few things or just one important thing that makes us feel we belong there and we are comfortable with being there.

We are surrounded by people every day and we might have a lot of social support, but unless we feel we fit in, it will not help.

When we feel we are connected with the world around us, then we feel we are where we were meant to be.

Decisions, decisions, decisions....

Everything in life is a matter of decisions. Some of them could be easier to take such as what clothes wear today or whether going or not going to a party, but others could be a really headache. Sometimes, life put us in a cross of roads. What should we do? Which road should we take?

Making desicions is not an easy task. We are scared of choosing one or another path. We can even get stuck or paralyzed by the fear. An uncertain future makes us to procastinate. But should we be satisfied by a bad situation only because it is known? Should we avoid a decision only because we do not know what could happen in the near future? Delaying decisions because of the fear to the unknown makes the matter worse. The unknown could make us to feel anxious about what would might happen, however, we should also know that better things could come. When life puts you in a cross of roads, we cannot do anything else than make a decision.

I always received the advice of: “Do what makes you happy”;“Follow you heart, your values, your ideas.” “ Deep inside, you only know what is the best for you”. However, sometimes it is not so clear. We doubt, we think, we re think, we delay, we postpone, we try to see the matter in another way, we try to rationalize it until we start to feel. Emotions appear and make everything clear. Emotions have their own meaning and we need to hear and understand them.

Finally, we decide. We make a choice. Withouth doubts, it is a matter of courage. We move one step forward looking for those things that we want and leaving behind those things that we do not want anymore, that do not make us feel well. We decide. And if we make a mistake with the decision we took, time will let us know but we should know that the only blame that we could have is the blame of trying to find our happiness. Seeking of happiness is the reason of all decisions beyond, despite and above any mistake.

TOEFL ibt... Have you taken it?

Have you taken TOEFL Ibt?
What was your experience?
What would you recommend for the preparation and practice?
Could you give us some tips, links, web resources?
Thanks a lot!
Your help will be really appreciated!

English in Toronto! Patricia `s Blog

"English in Toronto " is the name of Patricia´s Blog. Patricia was my Seminar Teacher at YUELI last March-April,2008. I am not only learnt a lot with Patricia but also I knew and enjoyed many beautiful short stories. She has a very original method to teach English to her students and that makes that students learn more English and enjoy it !

I did not know about Patricia´s Blog until I realized that many visits to my blog became from her blog. She had put my blog as a link inside of her blog! I was so suprised and happy when I saw that!. It is an honor for me to be referred there! Thanks a lot Patricia!

When I started to check her blog I saw that many of my classmates had been referred too. It was so nice to see what they had written, to know more about their life and their learning experience at YUELI. Every student had a Blog and all the assigments were published there! What a great idea! This is a wonderful way to encourage student´s self thinking, creativity and iniciative.

I wish that many teachers, like Patricia, use this tool is their classrooms!

Thanks again Patricia! And I will keep practicing my English with all the resources and links that I found in your blog! It is real useful!

Link: http://englishintoronto.blogspot.com/

2nd April...

It dawned raining. A grey and sad day. Somehow, the weather wore the mourning dress in this Argentinean day.

Argentines do not only cry an ex president but also they commemorate the soldiers that died in Malvinas´s war 27 year ago...

A rainy day... a sad day...

Without words...

I am not a political person. I do not belong to any political party but I do belong to a society. I am argentinean, I grew up in democracy and I can not feel apart from the reation and feeling that the death of the ex-president Raul Alfonsin has provocated among the population. Actually, I am really surprised with such emotional and sponteneous movilization. Thousand and thousands of people went into the streets to show their affection and respect to the ex-president. Spontaneously. I though that spontaneity was not longer a quality of argentinean mass manifestations. Alfonsin made me see that it still exists. Without doubts, this is an historical goodbye.

Who was Raul Alfonsin? It has been said a lot about him lately. All the media has been reviewing his life these last 3 days. More than 70,000 people went to the Congress to say the last goodbye to him. All the political leaders have forgotten about their disputes and have met all around Alfonsín. The whole country has stopped with his death. Alfonsín was the president of Argentina between 1983 and 1989. Was he a good president? History will jugde him. It is still too soon to see background with objetivity. He was human being and he might have good and bad things as everyone. Moreover, when the situation is full os emotions, we need a couple of days to calm down, think better and undestand what happened.

However, why did people react in such emotional and spontaneous way? The question should be: “What does Alfonsín represent?” There were many answers to this questions. People said: “He was a symbol of democracy”, “he was my first vote”, “he was a decent man”, “he was an idealistic and he behaved according to what he thought it was good”, “he was a visionary”, “he promoted the regional integration”, “he was a man of peace”, “he did not enrich himself in the public function”, “he was a real public server”, he meant a change and he meant a hope after the last militar goverment for the country. A Hope. The movilization of all the peope shows that he still means a hope.

May be Quino was right when he dedicated a draw of Mafalda to Alfonsín. Dedication said: “To the only president who can show us that everything that is taught in the school could be true. To Raúl Alfonsin, with affection and gratitude”. Quino.

May be Mafalda is right: Alfonsin represents the hope that everything is possible, that everything could be better, that we can still desire that.

“To the only president who can show us that everything that is taught in the school could be true. To Raúl Alfonsin, with affection and gratitude”. Quino.

The Wheel of Life

Sometimes I think that Life is like a Wheel. But not any wheel. Life is like a wheel without axis. To make it works, we have to push it. The movement only depends on us.

When we want to get something, we need to make the first step. This first step will put the wheel into movement. And then, we need to keep the feedback active in order to not get stuck.

Sometimes, this feedback does not only depends on us. An answer, a reply, a response from someone else might be needed. However, what depend on us is to ask, re ask, demand an answer or a reason to our request. We do not have to pretend a "yes" but we do have to expect a feedback. The feedback will allow you to know to push your wheel, with which intensity and with which course.

It is always good that the wheel keeps moving because it shows that you are living. When the wheel is stuck, there sis a problem that need to be solved.

Lfe is like a wheel. If there is a wheel, there is a path. What you only have to do is to push it. You might need a big effort at first, but once the wheel is moving, it can go further and further by itself and could let you arrive to unimagible places. Trace your path and push your wheel.

A bit of humour for a moody day

Boy: That´s a huge purse. You must be carrying everything but the kitchen sink.
Girl: No... I got the kitchen sink, too.

:)

Never ask what is inside a woman ´s purse . You won´t believe it! However, it might has things that could save your life.

Purses are like our shields to survive in this uncertain world!

Sometimes people come into your life...

I bumped into this in the Internet and I just wanted to keep it.

The Fall in Quebec is beautiful, don´t you think?

++++++++

Sometimes people come into your life and you know
right away that they were meant to be there, to serve
some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help
you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be - a roommate, a
neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a
complete stranger - but when you lock eyes with them,
you know at that very moment they will affect your
life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible,
painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you
find that without overcoming those obstacles you would
have never realized your potential, strength,
willpower, or heart.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness,
and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of
your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they
may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight
flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and
comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the
success and downfalls you experience, help to create
who you are and who you become. Even the bad
experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are
sometimes the most important ones.

If someone loves you, give love back to them in
whatever way you can, not only because they love you,
but because in a way, they are teaching you to love
and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your
heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn
about trust and the importance of being cautious to
whom you open your heart.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take
from those moments everything that you possibly can
for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk
to people that you have never talked to before, and
listen to what they have to say.

Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your
sights high. Hold your head up because you have every
right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and
believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in
yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make anything you wish of your life. Create
your own life and then go out and live it with
absolutely no regrets.

And if you love someone tell them, for you never know
what tomorrow may have in store.

Learn a lesson in life each day that you live! Today
is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.

Was it worth it?

My other me...

Little Prince

Last Sunday I read in the magazine of La Nacion newspaper an article that was titled: "I and my other me". It was about people who are succesful and very popular in their professions but they have a hidden part, their hobbies, their passion that it is not usually known.

A brigde between what you make for a living and what really makes you to spark. A bridge between a necessity and a passion.

A famous singer that also paint and write. A fashion designer that also does Tarot. A famous drawer of children´s books that also runs adventure´s races. A lawer that also sings Tango. A rock musician that also sells painting brushes. And me... a humble graduated girl that also used to paint with the simplest pothoshop program ever.

Lightness

Spring

Sorrow

If you want to acquire my art or just leave a comment, write me to eugeniaincanada@gmail.com May be, the little artist that is inside me will show up again

Keep your Axis

At the center of your being you have the answer;

you know who you are and

you know what you want.

Lao Tzu

Impossible is nothing...

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.” Seneca
Dare it.

Tip Nº 5: Learn to Slow Down...

When you feel you cannot stop thinking, when you cannot disconnect your head, when you live your life as a competitive race in which you "must" arrive on time to everywhere.....when you fill your day of stress and obligations ... when you cannot realize that on time, something happens to slow you down.... your body, your mind, your heart will tell you: do not rush, do not get anxious, relax, take a nap, rest, listen to the silence, do nothing... Sometimes you just need to slow down.

One year ago...

One year ago, I was taking a plane to fullfil my dream....

One year ago, I was flying to Canada...

One year ago. Just one year.

Time flies...

We cannot go back to the past, right?

So, I will look to the future.

Maybe in one year from now, I will be flying to Canada again... :)

Maybe...

We all have a passport to our dreams!

How do you measure a year in your life?

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear

five hundred twenty five thousand minuted

how do you measure- measure a year?

in daylights- in sunsetsin midnights-

in cups of coffee

in inches- is milein laughter- in strifein -

five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

how do you measure a year in the life

how about love?

how about love?

how about love?

measure in love

Simple things, great results!

Sometimes, a great idea is just on the top of your finger
Keep it simple
Simplicity makes Greatness

Tip for a better life Nº4: Don´t get angry...

Who gets angry, loses.

This is the advice that my mom gave me today. Who gets angry, loses. Wise words.

"Life is how you take it"

I always like watching commercials and being surprised by their creativity. There are so many good ideas, wonderful messages, funny escenes that they can make you laugh, think, cry and even buy!

Argentine Coca Coca Light ads are one of my favourites. I have also been searching for Diet Coke commercials from another countries, however, none of the commercials I found at the internet have the creativity that argentine ones have. We should be proud of the creative people that our country has!

Why do I Like this commercials? I like these ads becouse I like Marketing. It is amazing how many possibilities you have to promote and launch a product. And foremost, I like these ads becouse they clearly show that it is not only a matter of the product itself but also what it represents. It is a matter of communication. As important as the idea itself, it is the way you communicate it.

Life is how you take it!

Life is how you take it!

Life is how you take it!

Building English Skills..

My new teacher divided English Skills in two main groups: Receptive Skills and Productive Skills. Nice clasification, I thought. Receptive Skills include activities such as Reading and Listening. You receive English trhough all your senses. Eventhough you have to make an effort to percive it and understand its meaning, they are not as mind demanding skills as the productive ones. Productive Skills are Writing and Speaking. Perhaps, the two most difficults activities to learn when you are learning a different language. By the way, for most people, writing and speaking are even the most difficult skills to learn in their own native language. Therefore, when you are learning a foreign language, you have to double you efforts. Anyway, writing and speaking are always difficult because these skills demand high concentrarion, coming up with ideas, organizing sentences, clarity in the message, etc.
No matter how hard you try, they will always be like a nightmare. However, keep practicing and do not give up.

Below, my practice:

What I like and What I dislike about English

Many people think that learning a new language is a difficult, even boring, task. Therefore, they usually give up as soon as they start. However, form my point of view, learning a new language is an amazing activity and, from my experience, English is the best language in the world to learn. I have been studying English since I was 8 years ols and I can tell you what it means to me: what I like about it and what I dislike about it.

I love English. What I like the most about English is that, from my point of view, it is an “easy to learn language”. Firstly, English has fewer verb tenses than Spanish. While in Spanish I need to learn more than eighteen different grammatical verb forms, in English I only have to focus on three: the past, the present and the future. It is much easier to remember them, as well. In addition to this, I believe English is easy to learn because it has some many words with Latin, French and German backgrounds that many English words are similar to Spanish words. Therefore, as they share the same roots, it is easy to recognize them.

However, not everything that shines is gold. There are two things that I do not like about English: its slang or idioms and the fact that it has a narrow range of vocabulary. I hate slang. I hate it because it is only used by native speakers in colloquial speacheesand you are always unable to undestand it. I do not like slang because as I use English as a second language, I prefer to keep formal structures to make communication easier and more understanding. The second fact that I do not like about English is that I believe that its range of vocabulary is not as wide as that of Spanish. For example, if I wnat to say “I love you” to someone, I have only one expression in English: “I love you” while in SpanishI can say it by two ways: “Te quiero” and “Te amo”. I strongly believe that Spanish gives you more synonys, alternative words and different phrases to express all your feelings, in all their variations.

To conclude, eventhough I do not like English slang and I cannot have a wide range of English vocabulary, I consider English the best language to learn. I know that not everyone will agree with me, but Englishi is an easy to learn language and this is the best of it.


PS, What I like and dislike about English Courses is that they make us write about this kind of topics.