Oh my!: Such a beautiful photo of some of my female NI2 students performing their own version of the Flag!!!!

Hey! It feels good to hold hands after three hours in a row of a pretty tiring exam, doesn't it? Such a nice class. It has definitely felt good to teach you, girls/ guys. Never fail to persevere in any aspect you find worthwile in life; English as well, if you dig it!

BTW: I can't see Carmen's legs, so I guess she is the one performing the most advanced version of the flag, lifting her body horizontally just by holding Paula's hand with ONE arm! And laughing! Good God! Such dexterity makes me look like a lousy amateur in all gymnastics and fitness side of things!

Shame on me!

The next BIG thing: on today's never ending diet and nutrition craze

Hi there again!

I have mentioned on several occasions how interesting I find the topic nutrition and health, as I profoundly believe how closely linked those two concepts are; the extent to which I believe that what we put in our bodies affects in an almost direct cause-effect relationship our physical, mental and emotional health has made me an enthusiast of the matter and an avid reader and listener of any interesting piece of information that can be found online and in books. This very topic might probably not interest you to the same extent as it interests me, but I'll try to make my point, anyway.

I have never really been interested in following a given plan in order to lose weight, nor have I been interested in doing the same to gain weight, either. For the last couple of years I have been primarily interested in following the way to eat that would make me healthier, more physically and mentally capable, more energetic, stronger, more athletic and leaner; in other words, the diet that could unleash the best version in me, in the physical, mental and emotional realms. In doing so, as I mentioned above, I've paid attention and read with great curiosity any new approach on nutrition with a decent scientific basis.

My conclusions?

a) Well, the amount of information  out there is ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING: There is way too much information to take in and every new, novel, revolutionary approach to nutrition (aka: "diet") will of course contradict the former one: have 5-6 meals a day vs. have only 2 or 3 substantial ones, milk and dairy products are essential vs. the adult human body is not ready to assimilate the nutrients in milk and therefore should not be consumed by adult humans, breakfast is probably the most important meal of the day and should never be skipped vs. "breakfast" is an oxymoron on itself, as we are not really "fasting" when we sleep and as such, we can do with a very light meal during our mornings, watch your dinners and try not to eat anything 2-to-3 hours before going to sleep vs. feast at night- as it is the time when we naturally have time to enjoy that meal with the family after a long day- and don't fear carbohydrates at that time- as they will make you sleep better-, avoid "starchy carbs" vs. eat plenty of them in your diet, and so on and so forth... and all of them eloquently put to words and not devoid of scientific justification, with graphics, charts, tables, numbers, experiments, examples, etc... Quite difficult to make the right choice, isn't it?

b) Every now and then, a new "super food" will emerge proud: the soy sprouts and sunflower oils and green teas of yesterday are the quinoa and stevia of today and who knows what will happen tomorrow. I am starting to think that there may be some vested interests behind the sudden spotlight on those miraculous products.

c) Moral issues cannot be shunned; well, I cannot shun them. We all love pets and find those videos with puppies and kitties absolutely cute, yet we are sometimes a little impassive or kind of insensitive to the suffering animals have to go through in factory farms and laboratories in order for us to enjoy our meals and buy medicines and look good and whatnot. For that reason, as I read and heard- just like you I guess- about the wretched conditions livestock and laboratory animals undergo, the idea of becoming a vegetarian- which I was at some point in my life- or even a vegan-in the end, dairy products and egg production are not devoid of suffering inflicted to the animals producing them- crossed my mind. Mike Mahler, a vegan bodybuilder, gives some interesting insights on the matter: "I realized that I did not want to contribute to the unnecessary suffering of other beings and I knew that I needed to make some changes. I started thinking about how animals are abused in labs and further solidified the new direction that I was taking. In addition, to giving up meat, I decided that I would make sure to purchase products such as: toothpaste, shampoo, soap etc that were not tested on animals. I gave up meat gradually. I started off by giving up all meat except fish. Then I gave up fish, but continued to eat eggs and dairy. I of course ended up giving up all animal products. That was 10 years ago and I have never looked back." Super interesting views, for sure, but then he continues "I am an ethical vegan and believe you are not entitled to talk about peace, or even be at peace with yourself, when you have a steak on your plate, as an animal died in agonizing pain to end up there". Well, Mike, slow down, will you? Let's not forget that Hitler was a vegetarian. There may be many moral reasons to consider giving up all meat products, but decrying all meat eaters as vile, vicious savages is too much, I think.

d) As there is not a simple nutritional approach that will work for every single person (as we are different, have different genes, different body shapes and needs, different metabolisms, etc.), you have to find out what works for you: I for example have observed that I feel much more active and energetic when I have a nice, substantial breakfast early in the morning, if I have 4 or 5 meals- instead of just three- and I feel really hydrated because- not surprisingly_ I drink plenty of water too, something like 5 liters a day. I also like opening the fridge and seeing lots of green and colorful stuff: asparagus, zucchini, pears, mushrooms, bananas, berries, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinaches, watermelon, mangoes, avocados, you name it... I just love that stuff, but I eat plenty of fish, meat, eggs and all types of nuts as well. I have never had problems feasting at night and going to bed something like 30 minutes after finsihing a big meal. The thing is that this diet works for me and makes me feel great, but your ideal meal plan might be different!

e) The concept of "diets/ miracle diets" is, in my opinion, absolutely worthless: a shameful moneymaker at the expense of people unhappy with their own image, desperate for quick changes. Things like the Paleo/Atkins/ Duncan diet (pretty similar in their principles), the artichoke diet or whatever stupid next big thing, make no sense in my humble opinion, for many reasons: firstly, because they are impractical (scheduling and planning your meals according to those diets would mean killing your social life- eating out with friends and family, special dates and events, birthdays, Christmas, etc- altogether) and because they make the person following them absolutely deprived and, as a consequence, miserable. That who starves on artichoke or broccoli for a period of time is very likely to feel angry at the world and anxiously pig out and binge on all the "forbidden foods" they crave for and ruin everything and put on twice as much weight as they managed to lose (Why? Because they feel deprived!). In today's world, people want shortcuts for everything and, unfortunately there are no shortcuts for being healthier and fitter, and no extreme approaches should be taken, either. If one wants to be healthier and fitter (not necessarily "lean", "slim" or "ripped", mind you), they will have to find the right combination of nutrition, exercise and rest that works for them, that is practical (i.e.: it fits easily in their working, family, leisure life) and that they can sustain for almost the rest of their lives. Extreme measures and shortcuts are bound to fail, miserably.

f) And, on top of that, food is a pleasure, right? Something to be enjoyed with all of our senses, a social activity... and if someone is deliberately (which means that it is not because of some medical prescription, abject poverty of anything like that) missing the delight of a delicious meal with friends, family or partner, well, I feel sorry for them. So, even if you're following a particular meal plan/ diet for a particular purpose, there is no reason why you shouldn't occasionally cheat on it and enjoy that gorgeous pasta dish or that yummy dessert you like so much. That will make you happier and isn't happiness the ultimate goal in everyone's life?

What's your opinion on the issue?

Memes against Stubbornness!: The Results!

Hey! About the meme activity, it was aimed at portraying some very frequent and typical errors in a humorous tone, in a light-hearted manner. But, of course, it was not only about making fun of some mistakes, but also about making the people who make them see why they sound so ridiculous at a certain level (THIS level, for example) and how much they can hurt one's spoken performance and subsequent result in an exam.

Please, excuse my bluntness and do not be offended by the write-ups and headlines, it is just what your memes inspired me. Let's try to spend less time feeling offended and more trying to overcome those mistakes, shall we?

BTW, that one above is the meme which I found most hilarious and the one which I'll print, plasticize and put on the classroom wall. The others were good, but that truly cracked me up. Thumbs up, José Antonio!

Enjoy!

Memes against Stubbornness- PPT file

Ladies and Gents, meet my friend the FLAG

Hi there!

I told you at the beginning of the present academic year, the year 2016 A.D., that it is better to try to aim for specific resolutions rather than very generic ones, and that one of them was being able to perform the human flag. Well, I have kind of pulled it off. Here you are, you'll be the judge:

Well, to be honest, a PERFECT human flag should be slightly more horizontal, but that's horizontal enough to be called a human flag without me losing my face, and maybe it won't get more horizontal until a couple of weeks, and the academic year is coming to its end, right? Anyway, I told and promised you that once I cold perform a decent flag, you wouldn't be the first to know, but you I would eventually let you know. So, please, don't call me "show off" or anything like that (not at least to my face!), because I'm just keeping a promise I made!

The thing about the flag is that I think about it as a metaphor for achieving things that we consider absolutely unthinkable and impossible, but that little by little, by means of practice and by overcoming frustration and failure, they turn out possible! You need to have some passion and interest in them, though! Well, all this applies to English of course! Nothing is impossible if you try hard and you try to have some passion too!

Practical English: How to Ask Someone Change their Behavior

Hey!

Quite recently we had this role play in the class about flatmates sorting out some problems affecting their cohabitation. The thing is that dealing with a situation where you have to face those kind of problems head on, without being too harsh or offending anyone takes some courage, diplomacy and the right communicative skills. About the latter, you can find the audio clip we used in our lesson, along with the pdf file containing the written script. I guess it could be quite useful!

Enjoy!

BBC Learning English: How to Ask Someone Change their Behavior

In Praise of Love (and friendship, too!)

"All you need is Love" sang the Beatles, but "What is Love?" as that Dance tune of the 90s said, "Is this Love?" ask Whitesnake in their super famous song and... Well, enough, Javier.

The thing is that, if you think about it, "love" is a complicated term to explain; I mean, if you ask anyone to quickly explain what they understand for love, most will start by saying "it's something you feel when..." but most of those definitions will likely be imprecise, vague and ,definitely, very different from each other. Yes, love is not easy to define, yet it is one of the basic pillars/axes of a fulfilling life (along with health and wealth) and, undoubtedly, probably the main reason which has led to almost any human creation, endeavor, enterprise, undertaking or action ever. Yes, I challenge you to find any work that is not the result of any human passion. Most artistic or literary works stem from "the love of something or for someone": think about Shakespeare's literary works (Romeo and Juliet, Othelo, Hamlet, etc) for instance. But this is not limited to "romantic love"; some works stem from "the love of God" (the Holy Bible, the Koran...), the love of one's identity (wars of independence), the love of one's country/culture and contempt for others' (laws of immigration, Islamic terrorism...), love of a pure, superior, immaculate race (Nazism, ethnic cleansing, etc.), you get it, right?

So, the concept of love is so broad and wide that we're gonna focus here on the idea of  "romantic love", all right?

From very early on, we hear countless stories about what love is supposed to be: you meet the boy/girl of your dreams, marry him/her, start a family and live super happily ever after. Yeah, right. I guess some genuinely live a life like that: they meet their true soulmate, their significant other, hit it off like immediately, experience "love at first sight", find out that they are actually the Ying to the other's Yang, everything is nice and easy in their coexistence and never have a single argument or remarkable problem. If you belong to this group of people, lucky you. Most people, however, know that this thing called love is not devoid of difficulties and highs and lows, and that it takes some of one's commitment and effort.

First of all, all that "take me as I am" nonsense is... well, nonsense: in sharing one's life with another person/other people, one needs to be prepared to compromise and be willing to adapt one's personal ambitions, routines, hobbies for the sake of a greater good (i.e.: that relationship), and also be ready to change one's ways because, believe me or not, nobody's perfect. If you didn't have to change ANYTHING AT ALL in your life, you rarely take into account your partner when planning it and yet, they never question anything, but follow you instead like a loyal lapdog who's totally under your thumb, well, I'm not exactly sure that one is a very healthy relationship. It may be perfect and perfectly convenient for YOU, I guess, but I doubt he/she will deeply feel the same.

Secondly, we have to be ready to learn from our mistakes and struggle to not make them in the future: yeah, we all at some point MAY have been too dependant on someone or way too cold, aloof, indifferent to them, we may have been cheated on or have cheated on somebody, treated somebody like dirt or been treated like dirt- and lived with it-, let a stormy relationship go on way too long and end up in an acrimonious breakup or parted ways far too soon and ended a probably would-be-great relationship (maybe for not wanting to compromise at all!). "To err is human" says the saying ("and to forgive is divine" it continues). So there is no point in crying over spilled milk, bemoaning and cursing our terrible luck. The past is passed. So let's try to get over it and focus on the present and future. And I KNOW, as with many things in life, the "easier said than done" line applies very well when it comes to relationships, but let's just try, shall we?

Thirdly, we have to be HONEST with ourselves and know what we want in life, what we expect from ourselves and from other people. And be sincere. "What we do in life echoes in eternity" said that character Maximus in Gladiator. So, I think it is better to be brutally honest with yourself and the rest and accept that it may be difficult for you to have a "normal" relationship and sometimes feel like shit, than be full of shit because you cannot tell the truth if your life depended on it. Again, "easier said than done".

Besides, there's one thing that bums me out a little bit and it is the "mercantilism" that sometimes surrounds relationships, the laws of supply and demand that have almost always run love and romance; I'll explain myself: if you are wealthy, intelligent, fun, educated,good-looking, well-dressed..., finding a partner will be like 1 million times easier for you than if you're not. And, probably, you'll go for an equally valuable, pricey "item" (if you know what I mean). That categorization of people as products of variable value makes me a little sad. But I guess it has always been like that.

Finally, all that applies to romantic love could be said as well about friendship: if you find someone who makes you feel good and brings genuine happiness and joy to your life, they are a keeper. And as such, you need to take care of them! Stop finding excuses for not getting together with your friends more often because life has changed and people walk different paths and blah, blah, blah. He who has a friend has a treasure. Don't give them away!

What are your thoughts about this topic? Leave them on the comments box!

Recommended Watching! Topic 8- Science and Technology/ Internet and Computers

Hey hey!

Time flies and so do topics in this academic year!

Well, as you know, after covering some topics, I usually feel like recommending a movie that I have really enjoyed and that is somehow connected with said topic. 

I guess that there are numerous titles and classics that have dealt with scientific progress and technology and its influence on mankind, and also lots of movies about the future world, sometimes with a neutral or positive outlook, but quite often with a negative one (The Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, A Clockwork Orange, Gattaca, Mad Max, Robocop, 12 Monkeys, Total Recall, and a big big etc.) These films depicting a rather bleak vision of the future belong to a genre called "Dystopian" (I think the term is related to George Orwell's classic novel 1984). God, I really love this genre and you bet that the movies mentioned are superb ones. The thing is that you may have probably seen most of them, as they are pretty popular flicks (and if not, you should, for they are GREAT), and you know that I like trying to be original and coming up with titles you may be unfamiliar with. 

Well, today's recommendations are, not one, but two: 

Kathryn Bigelow's 1995 Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk/ Thriller "Strange Days" is one of the least known movies in her filmography. She made quite a couple of fantastic action movies in the eighties (such as the Vampire thriller "Near Dark") and nineties (the all-time classic "Point Break", with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze). She became, however, a much renowned director thanks to later films like the Award-winning "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty". It is their less pretentious, more purely action films like the ones I listed before the ones which I prefer, to be honest. Anyway, just try this flick and tell me what you think about it. The cast (featuring Ralph Fiennes, the superb Angela Bassett and the always sexy Juliette Lewis) is great and the story, gripping enough to ensure a good time on a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Dig it, for sure.

 

My second recommendation are the 1st and 2nd series of the AWESOME BEYOND WORDS Black Mirror series (consisting of only three episodes each). I mean, Strange Days is sort of a personal favorite of mine: I enjoyed it a lot and it's a semi-classic in my book, but I doubt it will go down in the history of cinema like, say Kubrick's films; however, if you haven't seen these contemporary classics, masterpieces of TV/cinema/ fiction, whatever..., I urge you to do so! So good! As any other dystopian film/story, they are really dismal, cheerless, gloomy and probably, not the best option if you're planning to watch with a carton of pop-corn and the company of your kids. But great, nonetheless? You bet they are! One of the best broadcasting creations of the past 2 decades, if you ask me!

Enjoy and, as usual, don't forget to leave your opinions in the comments box!