UNESCO proclaimed 21 March as World Poetry Day in 1999. It has been said that Poetry reaffirms our common humanity by revealing to us that individuals, everywhere in the world, share the same questions and feelings. I chose "Hope is the Thing with Feather" by Emily Dickinson. I imagine you understand why. “Hope” is the thing with feathers … [Read more...]
200 Years without Jane Austen…
Unbelievable as it may see, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is cited by academics and booklovers as the bestselling novel of all time. Why is it possible that 200 years after their publication, her works continue to captivate both old fans and new audiences in the 21st century? In my opinion, the answer is clear: what she wrote about is still … [Read more...]
Hope
There are places in Africa where some children are considered to be sorcerers. They are to blame for bad harvests, illnesses or deaths. Their relatives and neighbours mistreat, marginalise or even kill them. A year ago, Anja Ringgren Lovén, a Danish voluntary worker, aged 38, who works in Nigeria rescuing these children, found a child who was … [Read more...]
Let’s Play Tennis
I wanted to share this picture with you because it brings me very good memories: Laredo, September, good weather and the best company. The protagonist is my friend David and behind the camera my husband, Miguel. Taking all the pictures they needed was easy, especially because David doesn't mind jumping, smiling, shouting, pretending he is angry... … [Read more...]
Sing!
Yesterday I went to the cinema to watch “Sing”, a 3D computer-animated musical comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment. Directed and written by Garth Jennings, the film stars the voices of very well-known actors and actresses, among whom we can mention Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConaughey, starring Buster Moon, an optimistic koala … [Read more...]
Those People
Haven't you ever come across those people who are incapable of facing the fact that they are not perfect? Well, I have. They can be easily recognised because most of them share the same features. They are used to giving their opinion on every single matter, even if they haven't been asked, probably because they think they know more than the … [Read more...]
Paul Simon: 75 and Still A Lot to Say…
It happened when he was about to sing his fifth song ”That Was Your Mother”, Paul Simon encouraged people to stand up and dance. His audience, obediently, crowded round the stage and did so. What promised to be a pleasant night ended up becoming a memorable evening, in which singer-songwriter showed he is one of the legends of the music … [Read more...]
Our Most Valuable Possession? Our Emotional Intelligence!
Emotional Intelligence can be defined as the ability to identify and manage our emotions and the emotions of others. Needless to say it comprises, in my opinion, the Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Intelligences Howard Gardner, Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard University, explains in his Theory of Multiple Intelligences. When I … [Read more...]
400 years with Shakespeare
Imperfect, poetical and real, the characters of this genius of literature, whose death took place 400 years ago, exceeds the archetype to reflect the complexity of the human condition. Only Shakespeare was capable of creating such a great catalogue of characters who have become a model of human nature. He was able to show the infinite diversity … [Read more...]
When life gives you lemons…. make lemonade!
Are we happy with our life? When will we have enough?When will we be completely satisfied? Maybe it is difficult to know... But, let's stop for a while and think why we feel sometimes miserable, if we have many things that would make other people happy. That's the problem. We spend all our life desiring what other people have instead of enjoying … [Read more...]