Why we have too few women leaders.

Good morning my friends. 
I wanted to share this talk at the risk of sounding feminist, because it´s interesting, true and has some expressions we can lean from. pay attention to the collocations more than to the actual meaning. I´ve underlined them.
¡Féliz miércoles!


- But all that aside: Pero a parte de todo eso/ poniendo todo eso a parte.


- Women are not making it to the top of any profession anywhere in the world. 


- The numbers tell the story quite clearly. 


- Women face (afrontar, enfrentarse ) harder choices between professional success and personal fulfillment (satisfacción personal).


- I was pitching a deal (lanzando una oferta), and I was in one of those fancy New York private equity offices you can picture (visualizadlo).


- Workforce: all people capable of working in a company/country (plantilla, fuerza laboral).


- I am convinced, is that women are dropping out (abandonar -estudios, carrera profesional,...-). 


- Now, at the outset (al principio), I want to be very clear that...


- Just a couple weeks ago at Facebook, we hosted (albergar, ser la sede para un evento) a very senior government official...


- above all else, is...: sobre todo lo demas está...


 - And everyone's (everyone IS) nodding (asentir/ saludar con la cabeza).


-...the men are reaching for opportunities more than women.


- We've got to get women to sit at the table: tenemos que conseguir que las mujeres se sienten en la mesa.


- Who do you think drops out when someone needs to be home more? 


-...with the objective of staying in the workforce 


- How am I going to fit this into everything else I'm doing?: ¿Como adapato/ integro esto en todo lo demás que estoy haciendo?


- To look for a promotion.  (To get a promotion).


- To take on a new project.


 She starts leaning back: echarse hacia atrás (figurado). 


So, my friends:


Sit at the table. Make your partner a real partner. And don't leave before you leave. 


Studies show that households with equal earning and equal responsibility also have half the divorce rat

If girls were like guys...

What if girls were like guys...?




And if guys were like girls...?

Playing for a change. Connecting the world trough music.

Buenos días!
Para esta mañana de viernes proponemos Stand by me, temazo donde los haya, especialmente en esta versión, acompañado de un reading sobre el maravilloso proyecto que es Playing for a change. 
Nada más, que tengáis un fantástico fin de semana. 



A decade ago a small group of documentary filmmakers set out (proponerse llevar a cabo) with a dream to create a film rooted (arraigado) in the music of the streets. Not only has that dream has been realized, it has blossomed (florecer) into a global sensation called Playing For Change, a project including musicians of every level of renown (fama, renombre), that has touched the lives of millions of people around the world.


While travelling the world filming and recording musicians, the crew (equipo/personal en cine) became intimately involved with the music and people of each community they visited. Although many of these coMMunities had limited resources and a modest standard of living, the people in them were full of generosity, warmth (calidez), and above all they were coNNected to each other by a common thread (hilo): music.


Out of these discoveries, the Playing For Change Foundation was born and made its mission to ensure that anyone with the desire to receive a music education would have the opportunity to do so.


The Playing For Change Foundation is dedicated to creating positive social change through music education. We are driven by (lo que nos mueve) the belief that peace and change are possible through the universal language of music. By providing children a safe place to learn, flourish and express themselves, PFCF helps provide a creative alternative to the struggles many of these children face daily.


STAND BY ME:
When the night has come
and the land is dark
and the moon is the only light we'll see
no I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
just as long as you stand, stand by me
and darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
stand by me, stand by me


If the sky that we look upon
should tumble (caerse, venirse abajo) and fall
and the mountains should crumble (desmoronarse) to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
just as long as you stand, stand by me
and darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
stand by me, stand by me, stand by me


Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me,
oh now now stand by me.

Recuts, what if...?

A re-cut trailer, or retrailer, is a parody trailer for a movie created by editing footage from that movie or from its original trailers. 
They generally derive humor from misrepresenting the original film.
I discovered them trough this parody of The shinning, one of the most scariest movies I´ve seen and here is presented as a romantic comedy...



This is one of my favourites. Taxi driver as a single man in "the city" looking for love...



And the scary Mrs Doubtfire...

The clues to a great story.

Andrew Stanton has made you laugh and cry with movies like Toy Story and WALL-E, he sure knows how to tell a story and in this TED talk he shares it with us.


I think this is the better talk I´ve come across in Ted. It contains great revelations about story telling and about life, that can also be extrapolate and applied to the social-media world in wich we are living in today. It can be used in the construction of the Internet image of your company and in the construction of the relationship with your audience.



A major threshold is passed when you mature enough to acknowledge what drives you, and to take the wheel and steer it.
I really firmly believe that you are born with a temperament and you are wired (programado) a certain way, and you don´t have any say about it. All you can do it´s learn to recognize it and own it (adueñarte de ello, hacerte cargo).


Enjoy it!



- ...and an old man nursing a beer: un hombre mayor cuidando de una cerveza.


- to point out: señalar (literal y figurado).


- punchline: gracia/remate de un chiste.


- that deepens (profundiza) our understandings of who we are as human beings.


- Mr Roger always carried in his wallet a quote from (una cita de) a social worker.


- ...is probably the greatest story commandment (precepto/mandamiento) wich is make me care (haz que me importe).


- but something has caught you (atrapado) and you´re drawn in (involucrado) and you care (y te importa). That´s not by chance (eso no es por casualidad).


- So it got me thinking: así que me hizo pensar.


- and he is summoned (llamado, convocado) by his rich uncle.


- to pass away. morir.


- making a promise that this story will lead somewhere is worth your time (te llevará a un sitio que merece la pena/ que le deciques tu tiempo).


- A well told promise is like a pebble (piedrecita, chino) being pulled back in a slingshot (siendo estirada hacia atrás en un tirachinas) and propels you foward through the story to the end (te impulsa hacia adealnte a través de la historia hasta el final).


- It´s the most inclusive approach you can take: es el enfoque más inclusivo que puedes tomar.


- It confirmed something that I kind of have a hunch on (tener una corazonada), that the audience actually wants to work for their meal.


- We are born problem solvers (nacemos siendo solucionadores de problemas).


- engaging the audience: captando, atrayendo a la audiencia).


- Editors and screenwriters have known this all allong (todo el tiempo, desde el principio, fue frase del día, ¿recordáis?).


- widget (chisme, artefacto).


- all well-drawn characters have a spine: todos los personajes que están bien dibujados tienen una espina dorsal (una esencia).


- the character has un unconscious goal that they are striving for (to strive for something: esforzarse por lograr algo).


- Michael Corleone, his spine was to please his father (agradar a su padre).


- I took to this like a duck to water (take to something like a duck to water: to learn how to do something very quickly and to enjoy doing it).


-...but a major threshold is passed (pero un enorme umbral es transpasado...)


- and I was completely hooked on screenwriting (¡frase del día!)


- outcome: resultado.


- we were just a group of guys just going on our guts (siguiendo nuestros instintos).


- and I thought that epitomized (personificaba, tipificaba) perfectly...


- we had naively thought (habíamos inocentemente pensado).


- Off to bed: I´m going off to bed/ to work (me voy a la cama/ al trabajo...).


- We all live our lives conditionally, we´re all willing to play by the rules, as long as certain conditions are met.


- the vail was lifted: el velo era levantado.


- A strong theme is always running through a well-told story.


- you are compelled to pass it on (te ves forzado a compartirlo).


- the best stories infuse wonder: las mejores historias te infunden admiración, asombro.


- to pinpoint (localizar, ubicar con exactitud).

The lazy song, by Bruno Mars.

Or what Sundays are for.


Os dejamos esta perfecta canción de domingo, pero en su versión alternativa oficial. No cojáis ideas! Don´t try this at home!


#FelizDomingo!





Today I don't feel like doing anything
I just wanna lay in my bed 
(solo quiero estar tirado en la cama)
don't feel like picking up my phone
So leave a message at the tone
(deja un mensaje cuando suene la señal).
Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything


Uh, I'm gonna kick my feet up and stare at the fan
(Voy a poner mis pies en alto y mirar fijamente al ventilador)
Turn the TV on
Throw my hand in my pants
Nobody's gon’ tell me I can't, nah


I'll be lying on the couch just chillin in my snuggie
(Estaré tumbado en el sofá, relajándome en mi bata-manta)
Click to MTV so they can teach me how to dougie
(pondré la MTV, para que puedan enseñarme como hacer dougie (hip hop dance movement)
Cause in my castle I'm the freakin man
(soy un fenómeno)


Oh Oh, yes I said it
I said it
I said it cause I can
Today I don't feel like doing anything
I just wanna lay in my bed
don't feel like picking up my phone
So leave a message at the tone
Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything


Chorus (estribillo).


Tomorrow I wake up, do some P90X
(haré algo de ejercicio. P90X is a workout revolutionary system).
With a really nice girl have some really nice sex
And she's gonna scream out, "this is great" (Oh my god this is great)
I might mess around and get my college degre
(mess around: entretenerse, pasar el rato, hacer el tonto)
I bet my old man will be so proud of me
(apuesto a que mi padre estará muy orgulloso de mí)
I'm sorry pops you just have to wait


[Chorus]


No I ain't gonna comb my hair
Cause I ain't going anywhere
No no no no no no no no nooo
I'll just strut in my birthday suit
(Tan solo me pavoneará en mi traje de los cumpleaños)
And let everything hang loose
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeahhh

Why videos go viral?

Kevin Allocca is YouTube's trends manager. 
Yes, he watches YouTube videos for his job and he has deep thoughts (profundos pensamientos) about silly web video. In this talk from TEDYouth, he shares the 4 reasons a video goes viral.




- So we're going to talk a little bit today about how videos go viral and then why that even matters.


- Any one of you could be famous on the Internet by next Saturday.


- And of that, only a tiny (diminuto) percentage ever goes viral and gets tons of views (montones de visitas) and becomes a cultural moment. 


- it seems to have just sprouted up (brotar/ reproducirse) out of nowhere.


- What's important is that an individual or a group of tastemakers took a point of view and they shared that with a larger audience, accelerating the process.


- But what's important here is the creativity that it inspired amongst this techie (tecnológica), geeky (obsesos de la Informática), Internet culture. 


- And who could have predicted any of this?
(¿Y quien podría haber predicto nada de esto?).


- In a world where over two days of video get uploaded every minute (más de dos días de video se suben cada minuto), only that which is truly unique (solo aquello que es verdaderamente único) and unexpected can stand out (sobresalir) in the way that these things have. 


- When a friend of mine told me...


- And so this approach holds for anything new that we do creatively. 
(Así, este enfoque/propuesta apuesta por cualquier cosa que hagamos de forma creativa).




En @Funny__ENglish nos quedamos con esto:
Tastemakers, creative participating communities, complete unexpectedness, these are characteristics of a new kind of media and a new kind of culture where anyone has access and the audience defines the popularity. 
No one has to green-light (dar luz verde) your idea. And we all now feel some ownership (propiedad) in our own pop culture. And these are not characteristics of old media, and they're barely true of the media of today, but they will define the entertainment of the future.

How to write about Africa...

Hola amigos! 
En Funny English tenemos una nueva propuesta y es la siguiente:
Por un lado os dejamos este vídeo en el que al famoso actor Djimon Hounsou, al que conoceréis por películas como Amistad, Gladiator, Las cuatro plumas o Diamantes de Sangre, lee un texto escrito por un famoso escritor keniata, Binyavanga Wainaina sobre como NO escribir sobre África; por otro os dejamos la transcripción del mismo.


Se trata de una descripción satírica de como no se debe pero, de hecho, se escribe sobre África
A poco que hayáis leído o visto películas que suceden (take place) en Africa, (leáse Memorias de África, Diamantes de Sangre, Hotel Rwanda, La Masai Blanca,...entre otros muchos ejemplos), sabréis de lo que habla.


Os dejo el vídeo y el texto original, para que empecéis por donde queráis. Lo ideal sería, lo que recomiendan en las cursos de preparación de exámenes es: escuchar el vídeo primero, para ver qué entendéis y luego acudir al texto para corroborar y ver las palabras escritas así como su significado.
Es un post más largo de lo habitual pero que sin dudad merece la pena. Espero que lo disfrutéis.
Un saludo.






"How to write about Africa."


Always use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title.
Note that ‘People’ means Africans who are not black, while ‘The People’ means black Africans.


Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your book, or in it, unless that African has won the Nobel Prize. An AK-47, prominent ribs, naked breasts: use these. If you must include an African, make sure you get one in Masai or Zulu or Dogon dress.


In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty (polvoriento) with rolling grasslands (rastrojos) and huge herds (rebaños, manadas)of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy (húmedo) with very short people who eat primates.


Don’t get bogged down with precise descriptions (no te enredes con muchos detalles), Africa is big: fifty-four countries, 900 million people who are too busy starving (muriéndose de hambre) and dying and warring (luchando) and emigrating to read your book. The continent is full of deserts, jungles, highlands, savannahs and many other things, but your reader doesn’t care about all that, so keep your descriptions romantic and evocative and unparticular (no específico/ concreto).


Make sure you show how Africans have music and rhythm deep in their souls, and eat things no other humans eat. Do not mention rice and beef and wheat (trigo); monkey-brain is an African's cuisine of choice, along with goat, snake, worms (gusanos) and grubs (larvas) and all manner of (todo tipo de) game meat (carne de caza). Make sure you show that you are able to eat such food without flinching (estremecerse: he didn't flinch when he heard the news, ni parpadeó al oír la noticia), and describe how you learn to enjoy it—because you care.


Taboo subjects: ordinary domestic scenes, love between Africans (unless a death is involved), references to African writers or intellectuals, mention of school-going children who are not suffering from yaws or Ebola fever or female genital mutilation.


Throughout the book, adopt a sotto voice (voz baja), in conspiracy with the reader, and a sad I-expected-so-much tone. Establish early on that your liberalism is impeccable, and mention near the beginning how much you love Africa, how you fell in love with the place and can’t live without her. Africa is the only continent you can love—take advantage of this (to profit selfishly of something/aprovecharse): If you are a man, thrust yourself (arrójate) into her warm virgin forests. If you are a woman, treat Africa as a man who wears a bush (arbustos) jacket and disappears off into the sunset. Africa is to be pitied (Africa es para sentir pena por ella), worshipped (adorada/venerada) or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed (condenada, predestinada al fracaso).


1. Your African characters may include naked warriors, loyal servants, diviners and seers (vidente, profeta), ancient wise men living in hermitic splendour. Or corrupt politicians, inept polygamous travel-guides, and prostitutes you have slept with. The Loyal Servant always behaves like a seven-year-old and needs a firm hand (ncesitan mano firme); he is scared of snakes, good with children, and always involving you in his complex domestic dramas. The Ancient Wise Man always comes from a noble tribe (not the money-grubbing tribes like the Gikuyu, the Igbo or the Shona). He has rheumy eyes (ojos legañosos) and is close to the Earth. The Modern African is a fat man who steals and works in the visa office, refusing to give work permits to qualified Westerners who really care about Africa. He is an enemy of development, always using his government job to make it difficult for pragmatic and good-hearted expats (expatriados de buen corazón) to set up NGOs or Legal Conservation Areas. Or he is an Oxford-educated intellectual turned serial-killing politician in a Savile Row suit. He is a cannibal who likes Cristal champagne, and his mother is a rich witch-doctor (hechicera) who really runs the country.


Among your characters you must always include The Starving African, who wanders (wAnder: vagar/ wOnder:preguntarse) the refugee camp nearly naked, and waits for the benevolence of the West. Her children have flies on their eyelids and pot bellies, and her breasts are flat and empty. She must look utterly helpless. She can have no past, no history; such diversions (desviación, false friend!) ruin the dramatic moment. Moans are good. She must never say anything about herself in the dialogue except to speak of her (unspeakable) suffering. Also be sure to include a warm and motherly woman who has a rolling laugh and who is concerned for your well-being. Just call her Mama. Her children are all delinquent. These characters should buzz around (to talk excitedly or incessantly) your main hero, making him look good. Your hero can teach them, bathe them (bañarlos), feed them; he carries lots of babies and has seen Death. Your hero is you (if reportage), or a beautiful, tragic international celebrity/aristocrat who now cares for animals (if fiction).


Bad Western characters may include children of Tory cabinet ministers, Afrikaners, employees of the World Bank. When talking about exploitation by foreigners mention the Chinese and Indian traders. Blame the West for Africa's situation. But do not be too specific.


Broad brushstrokes (amplias pinceladas) throughout are good. Avoid having the African characters laugh, or struggle to educate their kids, or just make do in mundane circumstances. Have them illuminate something about Europe or America in Africa. African characters should be colourful, exotic, larger than life—but empty inside, with no dialogue, no conflicts or resolutions in their stories, no depth or quirks (singularidad, peculiaridad) to confuse the cause.


Describe, in detail, naked breasts (young, old, conservative, recently raped, big, small) or mutilated genitals, or enhanced genitals. Or any kind of genitals. And dead bodies. Or, better, naked dead bodies. And especially rotting (podridos) naked dead bodies. Remember, any work you submit in which people look filthy (mugriento, roñoso) and miserable will be referred to as the ‘real Africa’, and you want that on your dust jacket. Do not feel queasy (mareado) about this: you are trying to help them to get aid from the West. The biggest taboo in writing about Africa is to describe or show dead or suffering white people.


Animals, on the other hand, must be treated as well rounded (plenamente desarrollados), complex characters. They speak (or grunt (gruñir) while tossing their manes proudly (agitan su melena/crin orgullosamente) and have names, ambitions and desires. They also have family values: see how lions teach their children? Elephants are caring (los elefantes se preocupan) and are good feminists or dignified patriarchs. So are gorillas (También los gorilas). Never, ever say anything negative about an elephant or a gorilla. Elephants may attack people’s property, destroy their crops (cultivo), and even kill them. Always take the side of the elephant. Big cats have public-school accents. Hyenas are fair game (blanco de burlas) and have vaguely Middle Eastern accents. Any short Africans who live in the jungle or desert may be portrayed with good humour (unless they are in conflict with an elephant or chimpanzee or gorilla, in which case they are pure evil).


After celebrity activists and aid workers, conservationists are Africa’s most important people. Do not offend them. You need them to invite you to their 30,000-acre game ranch or ‘conservation area’, and this is the only way you will get to interview the celebrity activist. Often a book cover with a heroic-looking conservationist on it works magic for sales (esto funciona genial para las ventas). Anybody white, tanned and wearing khaki who once had a pet antelope or a farm is a conservationist, one who is preserving Africa’s rich heritage (patrimonio). When interviewing him or her, do not ask how much funding they have; do not ask how much money they make off their game. Never ask how much they pay their employees.


Readers will be put off (disuadidos -de seguir leyendo-) if you don’t mention the light in Africa. And sunsets, the African sunset is a must (es obligatorio) . It is always big and red. There is always a big sky. Wide empty spaces and game are critical—Africa is the Land of Wide Empty Spaces. When writing about the plight (dificil situación) of flora and fauna, make sure you mention that Africa is overpopulated. When your main character is in a desert or jungle living with indigenous peoples (anybody short) it is okay to mention that Africa has been severely depopulated by Aids and War (use caps).


You’ll also need a nightclub called Tropicana, where mercenaries, evil nouveau riche Africans and prostitutes and guerrillas and expats hang out (pasar el tiempo).


Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care

Not everyone loves classical music...

This is Rob Paravonian, a comedian, best known for his "Pachelbel Rant" which parodies the use of the chord progression from Pachelbel's Canon in many popular songs.


Feliz domingo!





- I´m a geek: freak de la informática.


- There´s no way to be cool when (No hay forma de ser guay cuando...) your instrument is bigger than you.


- The bullies just smell you coming from a mille away: los bullies (acosadores escolares) te huelen a millas.


- But I put up with (aguantar, soportar) all the abuse, because...


- I hate Pachelbel´s canon indeed, with a passion: Odio el Canon de Pachelbel de verdad, con pasión.


- it´s 8 quarter notes that we repeated over and over: son 8 notas que repetíamos una y otra vez.


-And the chelo, we got stuck with 8 loudly crappy sticky notes: y el chelo, nos quedabamos atascados en 8 ruidosas, horribles y pegadizas notas.


- ...so I got home and I thought: I´ll clear my mind (despejaré mi mente) with some folk music.


- If you´d stay away (mantenerse alejado) from the music that I love it will be better, but he won´t, he is shameless (descarado, desvergonzado).


- When I found myself in trouble: Cuando me meto en líos.

Will Smith y su sabiduría de vida.

I have a great time with my life and I want to share it...


Así empieza este vídeo que recopila la "sabiduría" de Will Smith.
¿El del principe de Bel Air?, ¿el de Men in black?. El mismo.
Resulta que además de ser un actor simpático y comprometido es un luchador nato, que nunca ha entendido el significado de la palabra "no", que por lo visto solo entiende de trabajo, voluntad y esfuerzo.
¡Que tengáis un feliz fin de semana!





- skill: habilidad, destreza, técnica, aptitudes.
- skilled: cualificado, también especializado, experto, diestro en algo.
- to excel: aventajar, superar.
to excel at/in something: destacar en algo.
to excel onself: lucirse.
- craft: arte, destreza, artesanía. 
- every single day: cada día.
- but if we get on a treadmill (cinta de correr, también rutina) together, there is two things: you are getting off (get off: bajarse, bajar de un transporte público) first, I´m going to die.
- Lay one brick at a time (same that "one day at a time"): to deal with things as they happen, and not to make plans or to worry about the future.
- I want to do good (not make!): quiero hacer el bien.
- delusional: ilusorio.
- Put up a barrier: poner/levantar una barrera.




Some quotes to think about...


- I want the world to be better, because I was here.


- If you are not making someone else´s life better, then you are wasting your time.


- There is no reason to have a plan B, because it distracts you from plan A.


- He who says he can and he who says he can't are both usually right, Confucius.


- Being realistic it´s the most commonly travel road to mediocrity.


- There is redemptive power that making a choice has.
Make a choice! Just decide what is going to be, who you are going to be, how you are going to do it.  And then, from that point, the universe is going to get out of your way.


- You want something? Go and get it. Period.


Me quedo con esta: Attack your fears.
Enjoy your weekend and enjoy your life!

The brain in love.

15 de febrero, resaca post- San Valentín. Un buen momento para poner un poco de cabeza a todo este asunto del amor.


"Romantic love is an addiction: a perfectly wonderful addiction when it’s going well, and a perfectly horrible addiction when it’s going poorly.” 


Why do we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for it?
In this talk, Helen Fisher and her research team took MRIs of people in love and people who had just been dumped and share her conclusions.


Anthropologist Helen Fisher studies gender differences and the evolution of human emotions. She's best known as an expert on romantic love, our most treasured emotion.





-To be madly in love: estar locamente enamorado.
- To be dumped: ser dejado.
- To be rejected: Ser rechazado


- To face: 
1. encarar (en sentido figurado).
i.e: To face a problem
2. de cara a
i.e: The room faces the beach.


- To pine for something: sufrir/ suspirar por algo.
(Pine away: Languidecer, consumirse de añoranza).


- I would stake all for you: Me jugaría todo lo que tengo por ti.


- Surpass: superar/ To be surpassed: ser superado.


- To be torn: estar desgarrado, hecho polvo.


- My body is numb (entumecido) with grief (dolor emocional)


- Parting is all we need to know of hell: Despedida, es todo lo que hemos de saber de el infierno.


- How many people around the world are dancing with elation (euforia, júbilo) at this very minute?


- Madness: locura.


- It's part of what we call the reptilian core of the brain, associated with wanting (el deseo), with motivation (la motivación), with focus ( centarse)  and with craving (ansia). 


- To crave (for) something: Tener ansia de algo, físico (a food crave) o algo inmaterial (She craves love).


- When you feel the rush of cocaine: cuando sientes el subidón de cocaína.


- But romantic love is much more than a cocaine high, at least you come down from cocaine: El amor romántico es mucho más que un colocón de cocaína, al menos el efecto de la cocaína se pasa.


- Romantic love is an obsession. It possesses you. You lose your sense of self. 


- But no, you just love them harder: pero no es así, al revés, le quieres más.


- The less my hope, the hotter my love: Cuanta menos esperanza tengo, mayor es mi amor.


- An appropriate mating partner: una pareja de apareamiento adecuada.


- Gains and losses: ganancias y pérdidas.


- Willing to take enormous risks: deseoso de asumir enormes riesgos.


- Attachment: apego.
- To feel attached: sentirse apegado.


- No wonder (con razón) people suffer around the world, and we have so many crimes of passion. 


- When you've been rejected in love, not only are you engulfed with (envuelto con) feelings of romantic love


- Foremost (lo primero, más importante, destacado), I have come to think (he llagado a pensar, he consluído) that romantic love is a drive (impulso, instinto).


- To distort reality: distorsionar la realidad. 


- Withdrawals: retirada, renuncia.
- Relapse: recaída.


- She had to pull over from the side of the road: tuvo que aparacar a un lado de la carretera.


- Too scruffy: desaliñado, dejado.


- To be picky: quisquilloso (eligiendo).


- People have often asked me whether what I know about love has spoiled it for me: La gente me ha preguntado a menudo si lo que sé sobre el amor, me lo ha fastidiado/ estropedo.


- There's one thing that makes me pursue (perseguir) my understanding of human nature, 


- So my final statement (afirmación) is: love is in us. It's deeply embedded in the brain. Our challenge is to understand each other.




"The god of love lives in a state of need. It is a need. It is an urge. It is a homeostatic imbalance (desequilibrio). Like hunger (hambre) and thirst(sed), it's almost impossible to stamp out (con el que es imposible acabar, sofocar, controlar)", Plato.

The greatest love of all...

...it´s the one you can find inside you.
Teach the children well and they´ll lead the way.


Tristemente es hoy noticia esta gran voz.
Os dejo una de sus mejores canciones en mi opinión.
Un gran mensaje.
Feliz Domingo.







Greatest love of all.


I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
(enseñadle bien y dejadles guiar el camino)


Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
(Dejad que sus sonrisas os recuerden como solíais ser)


Everybody´s searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
(la gente necesita a alguien a quien admirar)


I never found anyone to fulfill my needs
(Nunca encontré a nadie que cubriera mis necesidades)


A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me


I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I live as I believe
(Hace un tiempo decidí, no caminar bajo en las sombras de nadie nunca más.
si fallo, si tengo éxito, 
al menos estaré viviendo como creo que he de hacerlo)


No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
(no pueden quitarme mi dignidad)


Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
(es fácil de conseguir)


Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all


I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be


And if by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love

Easy come, easy go...

Espero disculpen la osadía, pero me ha apetecido estirar la frase del día y de paso incluir un recurso nuevo: las letras de canciones en inglés.


Estas resultan útiles en el sentido de que, al tener que expresar lo máximo con un ajustado número de palabras, reflejan perfectamente la esencia del inglés: el ir al grano (go straight to the point), lo gráfico y concreto de sus expresiones, y su aficción por usar el mínimo número de palabras posibles:


-¿para que te voy a enviar un email if I can email you?
-¿para qué voy a buscarte en facebook if I can just facebook you?
-¿para qué te voy a buscar en Google, if I can Google you?


...Y así...hasta infinito. Los ingleses son muy fans de convertir nombres en verbos para abreviar, y de llamar a las cosas por su nombre:


- raincoat.
-doorstop.


Bueno al tema, que me desvio (como buena española). Os dejo la letra de Easy come, easy go de George Strait para que repasemos/ aprendamos algunas expresiones:










Says she's had enough of me, I've had enough of her too. 
(Dice que ha tenido suficiente de mí, yo he tenido suficiente de ella también).


I might as well go on and set her free, she's already turned me loose. 
(Might as well: Indicates that it is probably better to do something than not to do it.
Set someone free: liberarle, dejarle ir).


No fault, no blame, nobody done no wrong- 
(Blame: culpar).


That's just the way it sometimes goes. 
Sometimes two people just don't get along, it's time to hit the road. 
(To get along: llevarse bien/ Don´t get along: no llevarse bien).


Goodbye, farewell, so long, vaya con Dios.
Good luck, wish you well, take it slow. 
(Buena suerte, deseo que te vaya bien, tomátelo con calma).


Easy come girl, easy go. 
(Chica que facilmente viniste, facilmente vete).


We tried to work it out a hundred times, ninety- nine it didn't work. 
(Intentamos hacerlo funcionar...).


I think it's best we put it all behind before we wind up getting hurt. 
(Creo que es mejor dejarlo todo atrás, antes de que terminemos haciéndonos daño).


No hard feelings darling, no regrets, 
(Sin malos rollos, sin arrepentimientos).


No tears and no broken hearts. 
Call it quits, calling off all bets, it just wasn't in the cards. 
(Hagamos las paces/pelillos a la mar, cancela todas las apuestas, simplemente no estaba escrito en las cartas (destino)).


Goodbye, farewell, so long, vaya Con Dios. 
Good luck, wish you well, take it slow. 
Easy come girl, easy go. 


Easy come girl, easy go. 
vaya Con Dios, good luck, 
Easy come, easy go. 

Music and passion.

Os dejo este vídeo sobre música clásica.
Diréis: "¿Música clásica?, ¡qué impopular!, ¿y que poco divertido!".

Este vídeo no es sobre música clásica es sobre la música en sí y la pasión que uno pone en hacer lo que le gusta. Y sobre la importancia de saber comunicar sobre un tema consiguiendo, no solo atraer la atención de le gente, sino emocionarla y hacerla partícipe.

En la vida hay que dedicarse a lo que uno le gusta, porque la dedicación y la pasión que se pone en ello, no es ni por asomo comparable a la rutina de dedicar nuestros días al "trabajo".
Esa pasión será la que te haga marcar la diferencia. Y puede que hasta te lleve al éxito (o no) pero te hará sin duda acostarte cada noche satisfecho, contento y con ganas del siguiente día.

Un saludo.



- Hopeless: sin esperanza.

- And rather than (en lugar de) going to stadistics and trends telling you that all the orchestras are closing and
record companies are folding (hablando de un negocio/tienda: quebrar, cerrar sus puertas).

- It´s not actually an experiment, because I already know the outcome (resultado).

- And at that point (y llegados a ese punto) they usually give up (lo dejan).

- Every other note: una nota sí, una no.

-...suDDenly the music took oFF (take oFF: despegar: literal y figurado).

- There was a gasp (suspiro) in the audience when they heard the diFFerence.

- I was so moved (emotionally aFFected, conmovido).

- ...you come home from a long day, you put your feet up, a little Vivaldi in the background doesn´t do any harm (un poco de Vivaldi de fondo no hace daño a nadie).

- If you were tone-deaf, you couldn´t tell the diFFerence between (percibir la diferencia entre) somebody from Texas and somebody from Rome.

(To be tone-deaf: no tener oído musical).

- I´m not going to go on until every single person in this room (...) will come to love and understand claSSical music No voy a continuar hasta que todas y cada una de las personas de esta sala terminen por/ lleguen a amar y entender la música clásica).

- There is not the slightest doubt in my mind that this is going to work. (No hay la más mínima duda en mi cabeza de que esto va a funcionar).

- I have a dream! Although I´m not sure I´ll be up to it (Aunque no estoy seguro de si lo conseguiré.

- And of course if the piece is long and you,ve had a long day, you may actually drift off.

(Drift off: caer rendido, quedarse dormido.
i.e: The kids drifted off as soon as we got them into the car).

- And then your companion will dig you in the ribs (entonces tu acompañante te dará un codazo en las costillas): Wake up! It´s culture!

- ...that´s in order to delay... (eso se hace con el objetivo de retrasarlo...)

- Deceptive: engañoso/a. Deceit: engaño.

- one last request before I play this piece all the way through (una última petición antes de que toque esta pieza entera, seguida).

- I had a realization: tuve una revelación.

- I have a definition of success: It´s about how many shiny eyes I have around me.



Let´s be like the bird who flies over the field and doesn´t care about the fences underneath.

Ricky Gervais...

Buenos días de jueves. ¿Qué mejor que empezar el fin de semana con un poco de humor?
Aquí os dejo el historial de Ricky Gervais para los que no le conocéis.



"Ricky Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.
Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant. 
He has performed on four sell-out stand-up comedy tours, written the best-selling Flanimals book series and starred with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington in the most downloaded podcast in the world as of March 2009, The Ricky Gervais Show.
He has won multiple awards and honours, including seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and the 2006 Rose d'Or, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination"



He has also hit the headlines (saltar a la palestra) recently for being the hostess (presentador, maestro de ceremonias) of the Golden Globes as his last performance was  full of criticism and wound, just as only English humour can be.
Gervais's job as host of the 68th Golden Globe Awards was met with criticism since he made biting jokes (bromas mordaces) about many of the stars in attendance.

¿Qué como sé todo esto? Gracias a wikipedia. http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/SOPA/Blackoutpage

Pensaba poner el vídeo de este año, pero visto en que se quedó en un quiero y no puedo, os dejo con el del año pasado que además tiene alguna expresiones interesantes.

Saludos!



- Let´s get this straight: acalremos esto.

- got drunk, got naked, trashed the place: destrozar el sitio/ la habitación.

- I tell you what...:Os diré una cosa.

- to jump on the bandwagon: Join a growing movement in support of someone or something, often in an opportunist way, when that movement is seen to have become successful.

- ...so they can hang out with Angelina Jolie and Jhonny Depp: pasar tiempo.

- to accept bribes: aceptar sobornos.

- All that happens: todo lo que pasó.

- pretending to be: fingiendo ser.

- my lawyers helped me with the wording of that joke. mis abogados me ayudaron con la redacción de esa broma.

- make out: entender, descifrar.

- neither of wich is he now: ya no es ninguna de estas dos cosas.

The aNNoying orange.

As you all know oranges can be REALLY aNNoying... =)
I hope you all enjoy this video and have a nice "Three wise men" festivity.
We´ll be back on Monday with more!



- Why the long face?
(¿Y esa cara tan larga?)

- Do you know what else rhymes with hair? Nerd (pardillo),
And it looks like you are very familiar wih it baldy (calvito).

- I´m not an apple. I´m not even related!
(No soy una manzana, ¡no tengo nada que ver!)

- Look who´s the boss now!
(¡Mira quien manda ahora!)

- Pineapple? It looks more like a pain apple.
As the pineapple is being sliced, the orange does this word game between "pine" and "pain".
Also when somebody is aNNoying you say "he is a pain in the ass" or "he´s a pain". So he´s making that word game too, implying that more than a pineapple, he´s a pain (in the ass)-apple.

-Someone help me!
 (¡Qué alguien me ayude!)

- Hey apple, I don´t mean to stare (no pretendo quedarme mirando/ mirar fijamente) but you´re looking worst, for where?

(This is what the orange literally says but what it really wants is to make a word game between stare and stereo (escuchar en estereo). What he is actually saying is I don´t mean to listen on stereo and by the way, how do you hear now that you´ve been cut off and have no ears...)

-Leave me out of this!
(¡A mí dejame tranquila, no me metas.)

New Year´s Resolutions.

Have you made your New Year´s Resolution yet? Here you have some!

It may give you some ideas!

Happy 2012!




- Hold someone to account: tenerle algo a alguien en cuenta, hacerle resposabilizarse de sus actos, promesas, New Year´s resolutions,...

- Will: voluntad.

- Losing streak: mala racha/ Winning streak: buena racha.

- Driven: tenaz.

Little Britain. Fat fighters

Si pensabais que no se podía ser más desagradable que Carol Beer, os presento a Marjorie Dawes, fat fighters coach. Mean, gross, racist,...

This is acid, black humour,...not recoMMended for delicate sensibilities.
Enjoy it! And have a nice week!



-In Usa 80% of the people are morbidly obese, the other 20% are just plain fat: En USA el 80% es obeso mórbido, el otro 20% son solo gordos.

-Ice cube: cubito de hielo.

-Cut out: reducir, recortar, quitarse algo.

-Burm: bollo (de pan)

-Dry burm: un bollo a palo seco.

-Must be something they eat over there: Debe ser algo que comen por allí.

-If anyone would like to come up to my place afterwards for drinks: Si queréis venir a mi casa después de esto a tomar algo...

(To my place/ To mine´s/ To Rachel´s place/ To Rachel´s: : a mi casa. (No se dice my house, my flat,...)


-It´s for your own good: es por tu propio bien.




-To be aware of something: ser consciente de algo.

-Warm welcome: calida bienvenida.

-Your movies...well, we don´t remember any but I take your word: Tus películas...bueno, no recordamos ninguna pero si tú lo dices, te creo.

-You have had issues with your weight: Has tenido problemas con tu peso.

-Did you find hard to get a man because of the weight?: ¿Te resultaba dificil encontrar un hombre por tu peso?

-Can we just stick to weight: ¿Podemos centrarnos/ ceñirnos al tema del peso?


-Lost cause: causa perdida.
(Esto es lo que yo llamo un "real friend". Haré un artículo sobre esto, que en inglés no todo son false friends!)

-I can´t believe how you treat people! It´s completely rude! You are meant to help this people and you keep ridculing them about their seize! It´s disgusting!: No puedo creer como tratas a la gente. Es totalmente grosero! Se supone que estás aquí para ayudar a esta gente y no haces más que ridiculizarlos por su peso! Es vergonzoso!

Es un vídeo formativo, lo juro.

-Dismay: consternar (verbo), consternación (nombre).
-Inquiry/ enquiry: preguntar (verbo), pregunta (nombre).
-AGGresion.
-Play hide (or hide and seek): jugar al esondite.
-Dismissal: rechazo, desestimación, autorización para retirarse.
-IncompItent.

It´s friday. Let´s take it easy!

Why you should learn English in two videos.






Have a good weekend!