An Unlikely STAR

The moment she appeared as a contestant on reality TV programme Britain’s Got talent with her plain appearance, it wasn’t her who was ‘the ugly’ so much as people’s reactions to her. When she first appeared on Britain’s Got Talent she said her ambition was to become a professional singer; it was only raised eyebrows and stifled laughter what she got from the audience, then. The judges’ expression revealed mistrust, and even disdain, and the viewers were bitterly hostile to this rather chubby woman the moment she took the stage. Apparently, nobody was expecting her performance to turn her into an overnight global phenomenon.

Susan Boyle is a 47-year-old Scottish amateur singer who has recently come into international public attention. What was it that made her a public figure in the blink of an eye? I believe it was the contrast between the ‘ugly’ first impressions she gave and her lovely powerful voice. Then, cynicism turned into whooping and broad smiles. She finished to a standing ovation at her spine-tingling performance. Susan Boyle sang ‘I dreamed a dream’ from ‘Les Miserables’ in the first round of the third series of Britain’s Got Talent revealing her unexpected exceptional talent. And this was only the beginning.

In just a week her life had been turned upside down. By now, videos of Susan Boyle have been watched all around the world and she has proved more popular than any other character on You Tube. Her audition video has been viewed on the internet several hundred million times and she even has her own fans. Isn’t it amazing that just some months or so ago no one had heard of Susan Boyle? Well, now she has became one of the most talked-about people in the world. It is a dream come true.

"Men are from Venus, Women are from Mars"

“Men are from Venus, women are from Mars.” That is the title of a book written by John Gray which basically offers various suggestions aiming at improving men-women relationships in couples. However, I have recently realized how hard it becomes to try to understand people from another gender, let alone improve any relationship with them. Last month I watched this video which made me laugh a lot but at the same time reflect on the differences in personalities, attitudes, and behaviours of men and women, which have proven troublesome in any relationship, and which are an intrinsic part of them all. But, if it’s of any consolation to you, and me as well, let me share with you what I’ve learned in this video: we are different in nature, and nothing can change that.

One of the ideas that the mentioned video introduces in order to explain these natural differences between the two sexes is the one I am trying to express in my comic strip, and which Pilar Sordo, the psychologist in the video, called “magical thinking.” This is a thought structure, mainly developed in women’s minds, which lead people, more precisely women, to continuously compare the objective reality with their mental reality, the subjective images they create of people and things. Let me give you an example. We women are permanently expecting our boyfriends to be romantic with us and send us flowers daily. And it makes us so mad to realize that that will never ever happen, IN REALITY. What actually is making us so angry is in fact this so-called magical thinking, or magical thought, which is making us permanently compare the real man, our boyfriends, with this image we have in our minds of ‘the perfect man’. Of course we know who will lose the battle. And there it comes, the moment when we become intolerant, reproachful, and extremely unhappy as well.

It sounds complex. It must be complex. But learning to cope with the unlimited number of differences with the other gender is essential in order to improve all relationships. We can't deny we sometimes feel like crazy when not being able to control certain of our own emotions and reactions. And it frustrates us not being able to understand some of their behaviours. It is not a matter of just blindly and passively accepting each other, but of becoming more open-minded, learning about the other, understanding why it is that they, and we, behave in the way we do. And in the end, understanding and acceptance might lead us to complete happiness. How do you see it?

"Impossible is NOTHING"

I have come across this striking video which illustrates how technology can bring people together. I was astonished at the sight of 185 people from different parts of the world and IN different parts of the world virtually meeting with a common purpose in mind: making music. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? Reflecting that the unthinkable is becoming “the thinkable” with technology at hand, I was wondering how we can help these new technological trends take on the stage in the teaching scenario. We must admit that making efficient use of technological devices allow us to turn our traditional classrooms into innovative and engaging learning scenes. So I have asked to myself how we could apply the idea behind this virtual meeting of singers into the field of language learning.

Fortunatlely, I came up with an idea. Why not having a colleague abroad to hold some kind of experimental virtual meeting between your and her students? It could be highly valuable experience for you and for students themselves. Definitely, a teacher you know beforehand or any other English teacher you get to know on the net who expresses interest and shows commitment is essential before setting up any project. A teacher who has a group of students with the same level and similar needs as yours is crucial, as well. So arranging a date to have your students meet their counterpart is what comes next, after both groups have worked with similar semantic areas or topics for discussions so that students don’t feel at a loss in any conversation they get into. This can be THE opportunity students from different countries and IN different countries can have to use English in real life, in front of a real audience, and with a common purpose in mind: breaking down language barriers.

An advantage that virtual interaction among language learners might have is that we can turn the indivualized and lonely activity of computer working into an active exchange of information which gets closer to real interactions, thus giving our learners the possibility to develop not only English knowledge, but also social skills, and communicative strategies, as well.

We all know that technology has its drawbacks and we are sometimes reluctant to it, but we DO need to get used to it. So why not learning to cope with the advent of the virtual age and trying to maximize the application of technology in education? I believe we are sometimes too comfortable as we are, and that is the main reason we don’t try what’s new. But is this actually comfort or mere laziness? Being updated teachers and seeking to meet our student’s current needs should be a must in our professions. Devotion, commitment, enthusiasm, innovation, risk-taking. That’s what I believe it’s all about.

Free Hugs

I watched this video yesterday evening and it seemed damned silly at first. However, it kept me thinking: hardly ever are we conscious of the importance of hugging in our daily lives. We go in for a hug when we are sad or when the other is sad, when we win a match or when we lose it, after fighting with a friend or after making one. We hug to communicate, to share, to trust, to give support, to receive support, to greet, or just to make your presence felt. We hug as a sign of deep happiness or deep sadness, or empathy, or pity at times, or anxiety, or love. We hug constantly our friends, our relatives, our pet, even our stuff. We hug people we know but we sometimes hug strangers, as well. We need hugging. We love hugging. And we must have an inner "hugger" somewhere inside. Hugs just make us feel good, and better, and more comfortable, and alive. So “what’s in a hug?”

Hugs have always been a demonstration of affection and emotional warmth. It has been proved that we give hugs because we NEED them: we need hugging to feel human contact and to express feelings to others, namely we hug to share what’s going on in their inner selves. It is true tough, that we are living in a world where time is not enough for anything: not for singing, not for laughing, not for enjoying, not for hugging. But we always find the way to express our intense emotions one way or another.

And this issue of hugs leads us to turn our attention to the matter of affection itself, in whatever way we express it. We sometimes take affections for granted. But have we ever considered what these feelings of liking and love imply? I am considering it right now. Being affective towards other people generates a pleasant atmosphere of trust, closeness and comfort, in whatever context we can imagine. Picture the face of our students when we receive them grinning from ear to ear and greeting them with open arms.

That is the key of helping others feel comfortable, willing to be there, no matter where that “there” might be, anxious to share, participate, learn, and be affectionate themselves, as well: feeling affection, displaying affection, holding others in great affection. And there is nothing more deeply satisfying than receiving affection in return.

Humans and machines- who is in control?

Do you happen to be a do-it-yourself enthusiast? Probably not any more. Home-made cakes, coffee, face to face conversations, friendly letters in black and white, I’m afraid, are a thing of the past. Over the last few decades varied technological gadgets have been gaining extreme importance in our daily routines, becoming essential in every aspect of our lives. As a result of this, we have become highly dependent on these all-powerful devices, leaving aside traditional ways to carry out our everyday tasks. But are we aware of the risks we might be running?

Take a look around you. Cell phones, coffee machines, computers, electric ovens, automatic dishwashers, digital cameras, and so forth. Face it, every day of your life is now merely a means of clicking a button of this machine first, and of that other machine later. And they will do everything for you. Modern society is becoming highly robotized due to the current technological boom, and the increasing consumerism. One more machine on the market, one more machine we NEED to have. This is a fact. These technological items play an essential role in our lives and have already become a vital necessity in every activity that we, or actually they, carry out.

But what are the dangers of such a close dependence on all these machines? It has been claimed that men of modernity are gradually becoming “useless.” Today’s generation lack the ability to carry out simple tasks just because there are machines that can do everything for them instead. and they make use of them, of course. Then, these guys do not have the opportunity to develop, and practice, and improve any of their potential skills, but that of programming robotic machines. As they don’t need to do things by themselves, they are losing the interest to learn to do things by themselves as well. In a few words, we people are becoming empty heads. And we are paving the way for machines to take our lives over, at the same time.

So humans or machines? Who is in control after all? I’m afraid we have turned too dependant on machines. It’s true, they are practical, save money, save time, in fact they make our lives so extremely simple, what else can we ask for? However, we must acknowledge that if we continue to include them in every aspect of our daily lives, maybe one day, sooner or later, machines will end up being in complete control of our lives. Or aren't they already?

A blessing for us, or a curse for them?

You know? I’ve been thinking that having a pet is becoming increasingly common these days. I have one myself. They are nice creatures, mostly friendly, and it seems that they have the amazing capacity to bring forth happiness and satisfaction to almost everyone’s lives. But have you ever thought about the risk they run if falling into the wrong hands?

We cannot deny that these living things can make our lives surprisingly better and extremely exciting. The responsibility of looking after them fascinates children, their company is extremely pleasant to old people, and pets can even help us make friends –we can always bump into a new acquaintance while walking our dogs in the park! So, suddenly, we all feel the irresistible urge to get one of these.

However, don’t we sometimes keep pets at the expense of their happiness and their well-being? Take the example of those people who buy pets just to impress their friends. Do you really think they love them? I am afraid the answer is “no!” A 75% of them end up getting tired of them, neglecting them, and getting rid of them. And what about people who get those hard-to-care exotic animals but keep them in unsuitable conditions. Do you really think they can live for long?

Many people consider pets a blessing, they are our loyal friends and our best company; but are we all ready to have one? I would say not all of us. So the next time we step into a pet shop, with a little puppet or a baby alligator in mind, we should make sure first we can provide them with everything they need: a suitable place to live in, adequate food, day-to-day care, and, above all, LOVE. Or else, we may end up being a curse for them.

Keep It Fit

Few of us are aware of the multiple functions our brain can have and to what extent it is essential in our everyday lives: it plays a fundamental role in our most complex daily tasks but we also permanently use our brain in every basic day-to-day repetitive task. However, how often do we dare to consider what the optimal conditions for proper working of our brains are? Maybe, it’s high time we did, so here are some tips.

Rule number 1: do some exercise. It has been scientifically proved that exercise boosts brain power. Physical activity increases blood circulation and the oxygen and glucose that reach your brain helping you “think better.” So move, do some sport, run, walk, dance, wriggle, scrunch, stretch. And if you think you’re going to get smarter sitting in front of your computer or watching television, think again.

Rule number 2: do one thing at a time. It has been found out that our brain is incapable of multitasking when it comes to paying attention. While we can handle some simple activities simultaneously, when it comes to higher-level tasks, we can’t just do them. So why not finishing your English homework first and THEN turning on the TV? Why not driving home safely first and THEN gabbing on the cell-phone? Just face it: we are limited capacity processors.

Rule number 3: sleep like a log. It has been claimed that a good night’s sleep enhances memory and learning. It’s remarkable that when we are sleeping the brain is not resting at all but brain connections are taking place, which is essential for the brain to be active. Several studies have shown that a daily eight-hour sleep is necessary to enhance brain excellence performance. So remember, whenever you can, catch up on your sleep!

Hardly ever do we stop and think how lucky we are to have this extraordinary organ in our bodies always being of service to us. Hardly ever do we give it enough physical exercise, or respect its limited capacity for attention, or provide it with a complete night sleep. And yet, there it is: still working, letting us think, feel and do. But it’s high time we did something about this “hardly ever,” don’t you think? So, what are YOU going to do, from now onwards, to keep your brain fit?