Well, summer came and whispered sweet things in my ear,
as it flew south across the border.
But now that autumn's chill begins and winter's near
I start to feel a little colder ...
and a little older!
Welcome back. I hope you've all had an enjoyable summer holiday (those of you who live in the northern hemisphere, that is!). Summer went by all too fast for me - which explains my little poem above - and I do feel a little colder; must be old age creeping up on me. Anyway, I managed to write a couple of stories and compose a couple of songs, one of which is my previous posting.
So, glad to have you all back and I hope you'll continue to enjoy popping in from time to time. Do post a comment now and then.
Joe.
Showing posts with label libro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label libro. Show all posts
01/08/2008
IN A PERFECT WORLD
I started to write this song back in May. I was hoping we could include it in our End-of-Course Peace Concert (June). However, I didn't finish it in time, so we never got round to playing it. (In fact, I never even mentioned it to the others!)
Anyway, when I did finish it, I thought I'd try and do something useful with it. So, I created the accompanying video. The quality is not exactly "PERFECT", probably due to the conversion of files to an acceptable format, but it does reflect the kind of world we live in. In any case, I'm working on it. Maybe by the time I improve it enough the world WILL be a better place!
You can also access it directly at youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBC3LSre10Y
I hope you like it.
Anyway, when I did finish it, I thought I'd try and do something useful with it. So, I created the accompanying video. The quality is not exactly "PERFECT", probably due to the conversion of files to an acceptable format, but it does reflect the kind of world we live in. In any case, I'm working on it. Maybe by the time I improve it enough the world WILL be a better place!
You can also access it directly at youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBC3LSre10Y
I hope you like it.
17/07/2008
HELLO AGAIN & THANKS
Another week has gone by. We're now one week closer to August and to the month's holiday that's waiting to be enjoyed. I don't know about you, but I NEED A REST. I'm not sure yet about what I'll do or how I'll spend my holidays, but I do know that I'm going to rest,REST, REST!
This has definitely been one of the most exhausting academic years I can remember, though I must confess it has also been one of the most rewarding. Working on this blog, and on the others, has really been fulfilling. It has been especially satisfying to see the number of visits increase week by week, with visitors coming from as far away as Mexico, the States or India (you can check out the statistics yourselves by clicking on the small graph at the bottom left hand corner of the page) Thank you all; you really make it worth while. Do post a comment, however; you're thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
I thought the following song would be especially appropriate. Cliff Richard singing about a Summer Holiday in the film "The Young Ones". Lyrics below the video. Enjoy.
LYRICS - Summer Holiday by Tony Temple/Dell Clyde - Sung by CLIFF RICHARD
We're all going on a summer holiday. / No more working for a week or two. / Fun and laughter on a summer holiday. / No more worries for me or you. / For a week or two.
Were going where the sun shines brightly. / Were going where the sea is blue. / We've seen it in the movies. / Now let's see if its true.
Everybody has a summer holiday, / Doing things they always wanted to.
So we're going on a summer holiday, / To make our dreams come true, / For me and you.
This has definitely been one of the most exhausting academic years I can remember, though I must confess it has also been one of the most rewarding. Working on this blog, and on the others, has really been fulfilling. It has been especially satisfying to see the number of visits increase week by week, with visitors coming from as far away as Mexico, the States or India (you can check out the statistics yourselves by clicking on the small graph at the bottom left hand corner of the page) Thank you all; you really make it worth while. Do post a comment, however; you're thoughts will be greatly appreciated.
I thought the following song would be especially appropriate. Cliff Richard singing about a Summer Holiday in the film "The Young Ones". Lyrics below the video. Enjoy.
LYRICS - Summer Holiday by Tony Temple/Dell Clyde - Sung by CLIFF RICHARD
We're all going on a summer holiday. / No more working for a week or two. / Fun and laughter on a summer holiday. / No more worries for me or you. / For a week or two.
Were going where the sun shines brightly. / Were going where the sea is blue. / We've seen it in the movies. / Now let's see if its true.
Everybody has a summer holiday, / Doing things they always wanted to.
So we're going on a summer holiday, / To make our dreams come true, / For me and you.
21/04/2008
MY BOOKS
Some of you may know already that I write in my spare time. Not just Blogs, but short novels also, especially for the younger readers and for teenagers. Some of the stories, however, are perfectly suitable for adults, as more than one reader has told me.
What you may not know, and is less easy to understand, is that I usually write in Spanish. I also write in English, of course, though I haven't finished anything yet. The reason I tend to write in Spanish is that most of the stories were originally conceived as bedtime stories for my grandson, who was born and is being educated in Spain. From there it was just a step before I converted them into novels.
I've set up a new blog to put them within reach of a wider public. The blog has been created, but it will be a little time before I manage to get over the technical problems of getting the books in there, so please be patient.
http://www.loslibrosdejoe.blogspot.com/
What you may not know, and is less easy to understand, is that I usually write in Spanish. I also write in English, of course, though I haven't finished anything yet. The reason I tend to write in Spanish is that most of the stories were originally conceived as bedtime stories for my grandson, who was born and is being educated in Spain. From there it was just a step before I converted them into novels.
I've set up a new blog to put them within reach of a wider public. The blog has been created, but it will be a little time before I manage to get over the technical problems of getting the books in there, so please be patient.
http://www.loslibrosdejoe.blogspot.com/
07/04/2008
MORE SONGS
Here's a song I'm sure you'll all like. Needless to say it's one of my favourites. The first line is pure poetry: Lay a whisper on my pillow...!"
Enjoy...
Video:
Lay a whisper on my pillow - Leave the winter on the ground - I wake up lonely, there's an air of silence - In the bedroom and all around - Touch me now, I close my eyes And dream away...
It must have been love, but it's over now - It must have been good, but I lost it somehow
It must have been love, but it's over now - From the moment we touched till the time had run out.
Make believing we're together - That I'm sheltered by your heart - But in and outside I turn to water - Like a teardrop in your palm - And it's a hard winter's day I dream away...
It must have been love, but it's over now - It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without
It must have been love, but it's over now - It's where the water flows, it's where the wind blows
It must have been love, but it's over now - It must have been good, but I lost it somehow
It must have been love, but it's over now - From the moment we touched till the time had run out
02/04/2008
ENGLISH and SONGS (and the Second Conditional!)
Listening to songs in English is an excellent way of consolidating structures and improving both pronunciation and intonation. It also helps you acquire new vocabulary. However, you must choose your songs carefully because in many cases the lyrics (words) are just too poetic and can be difficult to understand.
Let me illustrate how useful this technique can be with a song that was popular in the sixties.
[It's from the West End musical, Pickwick, based on Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers. In the context of the stage musical, the song is sung by Samuel Pickwick when he is mistaken for an election candidate and called on by the crowd to give his manifesto.-Source Wikipedia]
The song 's title is "If I ruled the world". It's a very good example of the Second Conditional and is a really good opportunity to practise this relatively difficult grammatical structure (If I had a car I would drive to Rome)
Video:
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsdepot.com/tony-bennett/if-i-ruled-the-world.html
Now, compare it with "If I ruled the world" by Nas (Different song, much more difficult, rap style)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMn2cCBwH18
Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nas/ifiruledtheworld.html
By the way, the first version is by Tony Bennett. Sir Harry Secombe's version is far better, but I can't find it anywhere. HELP!
While we're at it, What would Trini do if he had a hammer? and what would Topol do if he were a rich man? Answers below!
Video - Trini: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyTO5vcFWuw&feature=related
Lyrics - Trini: http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/trini_lopez/if_i_had_a_hammer.html
Video - Topol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc
Lyrics - Topol: http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/fiddlerontheroof/ifiwerearichman.htm
If you found this method useful let me know by e-mail or by posting a comment below. I would then include some more songs.
Enjoy!
Let me illustrate how useful this technique can be with a song that was popular in the sixties.
[It's from the West End musical, Pickwick, based on Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers. In the context of the stage musical, the song is sung by Samuel Pickwick when he is mistaken for an election candidate and called on by the crowd to give his manifesto.-Source Wikipedia]
The song 's title is "If I ruled the world". It's a very good example of the Second Conditional and is a really good opportunity to practise this relatively difficult grammatical structure (If I had a car I would drive to Rome)
Video:
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsdepot.com/tony-bennett/if-i-ruled-the-world.html
Now, compare it with "If I ruled the world" by Nas (Different song, much more difficult, rap style)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMn2cCBwH18
Lyrics: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/nas/ifiruledtheworld.html
By the way, the first version is by Tony Bennett. Sir Harry Secombe's version is far better, but I can't find it anywhere. HELP!
While we're at it, What would Trini do if he had a hammer? and what would Topol do if he were a rich man? Answers below!
Video - Trini: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyTO5vcFWuw&feature=related
Lyrics - Trini: http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/trini_lopez/if_i_had_a_hammer.html
Video - Topol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHZFYpQ6nc
Lyrics - Topol: http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/fiddlerontheroof/ifiwerearichman.htm
If you found this method useful let me know by e-mail or by posting a comment below. I would then include some more songs.
Enjoy!
22/03/2008
EASTER
When I was a child, a long time ago, an Easter tradition at home was the Egg Painting Competition.
My mother would boil some eggs. When the hard-boiled eggs were completely cold, my brother, my four sisters and I, and occasionally some friends, would get down to the seemingly impossible task of converting the dull, inanimate shells into miniature masterpieces. We used food colouring, mainly, which we carefully applied with cotton wool and brushes.
Our creations usually consisted of heads: bald heads, funny heads, sad faces, animal heads, etc. We did, however, produce the odd ship or farmhouse.
When the paint was dry, we would rub the egg with oil to make it shine and protect the paint.
On Easter Sunday, during lunch, the eggs were judged by our parents and relatives and the winner of the painting competition was allowed to keep the winning example. This was followed by the "egg tapping" game. The rest of the eggs were shared out and each player hit another player's egg with his/her own egg. The winner was the holder of the last intact egg. The losers got to eat their eggs while the winner of the game was also allowed to keep his/her egg.
I don't think I ever won a single egg painting competition.... but I did manage to eat dozens of colourful eggs!
My mother would boil some eggs. When the hard-boiled eggs were completely cold, my brother, my four sisters and I, and occasionally some friends, would get down to the seemingly impossible task of converting the dull, inanimate shells into miniature masterpieces. We used food colouring, mainly, which we carefully applied with cotton wool and brushes.
Our creations usually consisted of heads: bald heads, funny heads, sad faces, animal heads, etc. We did, however, produce the odd ship or farmhouse.
When the paint was dry, we would rub the egg with oil to make it shine and protect the paint.
On Easter Sunday, during lunch, the eggs were judged by our parents and relatives and the winner of the painting competition was allowed to keep the winning example. This was followed by the "egg tapping" game. The rest of the eggs were shared out and each player hit another player's egg with his/her own egg. The winner was the holder of the last intact egg. The losers got to eat their eggs while the winner of the game was also allowed to keep his/her egg.
I don't think I ever won a single egg painting competition.... but I did manage to eat dozens of colourful eggs!
13/03/2008
CHESS
I wouldn't say chess is my passion, but it's definitely one of my main interests. I try and play three or four tournaments a year, especially during the summer. The picture is from the one-day Castelldefells tournament. I came second in my category. The youngish looking man in an orange T-shirt is my son Michael. He's much better than me and came third overall!
For those interested in this game here are the English names for the pieces:
Pawn = Peón
Rook = Torre
Knight = Caballo
Bishop = Alfíl
Queen = Dama
King = Rey
To check is Dar jaque.
Check mate is jaque mate.
Resign is abandonar
Offer a draw is ofrecer tablas.
To draw is hacer tablas.
From time to time I shall include short articles with some more vocabulary.
Interesting chess links:
This one's my son Michael's. It contains a number of recommended chess sites - http://mikerahal.blogspot.com/
The Catalan Federation -
http://www.escacs.cat/
For those interested in this game here are the English names for the pieces:
Pawn = Peón
Rook = Torre
Knight = Caballo
Bishop = Alfíl
Queen = Dama
King = Rey
To check is Dar jaque.
Check mate is jaque mate.
Resign is abandonar
Offer a draw is ofrecer tablas.
To draw is hacer tablas.
From time to time I shall include short articles with some more vocabulary.
Interesting chess links:
This one's my son Michael's. It contains a number of recommended chess sites - http://mikerahal.blogspot.com/
The Catalan Federation -
http://www.escacs.cat/
SPEAKING (First Certificate Exam and Higher)
At these levels, examiners are not really interested in descriptions, they really want to hear opinions. The more varied the better.
You can of course play safe and use the standard "In my opinion" or "I think", etc.
But, how about being a little bit more daring and stun you listener with "If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that...", or "From a purely personal point of view, I'd say that...".
Try "It's quite evident that..." or "It seems perfectly obvious that..." when the answer is quite clear.
When in doubt, you could venture :"I could be wrong, of course, but I'd say that...".
When absolutely certain of what you are looking at: "Well, I'd be prepared to bet my last farthing that..."
NOTE:
Speaking, contrary to popular belief, is not an intellectual activity. It's entirely Physical. It requires coordination between brain and vocal chords. Your brain sends a message to your vocal chords and they, in turn, perform the action. As in all other physical exercises, perfection requires practice. It's not enough to "KNOW" what you have to say, you ACTUALLY HAVE TO SAY IT...... AND SAY IT WELL!
Which means Plenty of REPETITION - Listen... and then Repeat.
REPEAT to improve your pronunciation.
REPEAT to improve intonation (Rythm and stress).
REPEAT to improve fluency.
You can of course play safe and use the standard "In my opinion" or "I think", etc.
But, how about being a little bit more daring and stun you listener with "If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that...", or "From a purely personal point of view, I'd say that...".
Try "It's quite evident that..." or "It seems perfectly obvious that..." when the answer is quite clear.
When in doubt, you could venture :"I could be wrong, of course, but I'd say that...".
When absolutely certain of what you are looking at: "Well, I'd be prepared to bet my last farthing that..."
NOTE:
Speaking, contrary to popular belief, is not an intellectual activity. It's entirely Physical. It requires coordination between brain and vocal chords. Your brain sends a message to your vocal chords and they, in turn, perform the action. As in all other physical exercises, perfection requires practice. It's not enough to "KNOW" what you have to say, you ACTUALLY HAVE TO SAY IT...... AND SAY IT WELL!
Which means Plenty of REPETITION - Listen... and then Repeat.
REPEAT to improve your pronunciation.
REPEAT to improve intonation (Rythm and stress).
REPEAT to improve fluency.
GOLDEN RULE - REPETITION is the key to GOOD SPEAKING
The more = Cuanto más
To play safe = Ir sobreseguro
Daring = Osado, aventuroso
To stun = Abrumar
To hazard a guess = Aventurar (una Opinión), Atreverse (a dar una opinión)
Purely = puramente
To venture = Aventurar (una opinión)
To bet = Apostar
Farthing = Moneda de más baja denominación.
Brain = Cerebro
Chords = Cuerdas
Actually = De hecho
06/03/2008
25/04/2007
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