aotearoa

I am Sam

2008-04-24T20:44:00.004+02:00

From time to time you go to the movies just to spend a Saturday afternoon and you found a little treasure, this is what happened to me when I saw “I am Sam”.

It is a drama film made in 2001; it stars Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Sean Peen plays the part of his life as Sam Dawson; actually he was nominated for the Oscar to the best actor in a leading role.

The film is about the strength of paternal love. Sam Dawson is a 7-year-old-minded man; he has been left to his fate with a daughter to rise the day after her birth.

He takes care of Lucy Diamond (she named her so for the Beatles’ song “Lucy in the sky with diamonds”) helped by her three handicapped friends and his agoraphobic neighbor Annie.

Soon he realizes Lucy is really smart and that she knows her father is different but she loves her dad above all. After Lucy’s eventful birthday, a social worker sends her with a foster family during the trial which has to decide Sam’s ability for taking care of Lucy.

Sam hires Rita as his lawyer (a so called cold and heartless woman) whose private life is as dysfunctional as brilliant is her career.

In his way Sam help the others to make up their lives, he manages to make Annie go to the court to testify and overcome her phobia, he advises Rita to leave a husband who doesn’t love her and to recover the relation with her son.

Sam is somehow more sensible than the average people, his viewpoint is simple and all he does is for love.

During the trial Rita says “every parent has those moments when their child is so unbelievably challenging, that you feel retarded” and as Sam Says fathering “is about patience, about listening, and it’s about LOVE”, ¿simple? but plain truth…

Working on holidays

2008-03-31T20:09:00.001+02:00

Last Easter I remembered why I love working on holidays.

At first glance it is unlikely to enjoy working while others are having fun, but think about the benefits.

First of all you can get up a bit later, and you have the rare opportunity of doing a little lay-in, and in case you are not as sleepyhead as me you can a have a slow breakfast, so you leave home happy.

Then you get into the car and ¡surprise! You find no one on the road, except those happy drivers who like working on holidays, there is no traffic jam, and there is plenty of parking place, so you arrive early and happy to work.

Once you are there, and as you are early you have time to have a slow coffee, what a pleasure!

Then you start working, there are fewer phone calls, less mails, less interruptions, so you can catch up with work, you have time to clean and organize your desk (you rediscover your desk under those piles of sheets you use to have on it!).

When the working day is over you can go home on time because you have finished your tasks, and again the road is empty so you arrive home happy and early and you have time to read or watch TV or whatever you like.

Don’t you think it’s fantastic?

Nominated!

2008-01-22T22:40:00.000+01:00

Today Javier Bardem has been nominated for the Oscar’s for his performance at “No country for old men”.

I haven't seen the film yet but I'm looking forward to seeing it. I enjoyed the film which gave him his last nomination for his performance of Reinaldo Arenas at the film "Antes de que anochezca".

Do you think that nomination will help somehow the Spanish film industry?

I like Spanish films "El cielo abierto", "You're the one" or "Sobreviviré" (Have you seen them?) but I can't either stand Almodovar's or Santiago Segura's films, they're too much for my nerves.

What kind of cinema are you keen on? Do you like Spanish films?

Urban legends

2008-01-22T00:50:00.000+01:00

I was thinking about an uncanny story to tell you when I realized that we are usually bombed with SPAM in our mailbox explaining frightening stories or what we call urban legends.

I use to ignore them, but here it goes one that shocked me a few months ago.

Be careful when you drive at night, and please don’t warn a car with the headlights off. This is the starting shot for the initiation rite of the Latin gangs. The “applicant” must drive with the headlights off and his target will be the first car to warn him of driving blindly with flashing lights. Next step is turning around, pursuing that car and killing all the passengers. Only this way he will be accepted in his new family.

Perhaps you will think this is a piece of nonsense, but think about it next time you see a car driving with the headlights off, what will you do?

Spain's King to Chavez - Por qué no te callas!

2007-11-19T21:34:00.001+01:00

I’m surprised because no one has written anything about that incident. I’ve seen the images until boredom and it was last week’s topic everywhere.

So, what do you think about King Juan Carlos I reaction during the Iberoamerican Meeting in Chile?

The first time I saw the video I couldn't believe it, the King totally ignored formalities and had a human reaction. This video provokes me contradictory thoughts, on one hand I can’t accept King’s reaction because he is representing a Country and He leveled Chavez; but on the other hand He exposed himself, some media had explained that before leaving the Hall he told the President Zapatero “You have to remain here, but I’m leaving to point out we protest”.

Hugo Chavez had a complete lack of manners, even more when he is at an International Meeting with the aim of solving problems by diplomacy and avoiding conflicts.

Resulting from that “confrontation” relations between Venezuela and Spain are damaged, both countries need each other, one for foreign inversions and the other for natural resources, now it’s time for Diplomacy to arrange the situation, at least they’re obliged to get on.

Shame

2007-11-19T20:52:00.001+01:00

Fortunately I haven’t lived a war. When I was a child I used to think war was a thing of the past, something about what my grandmother explained me some stories of her escape from Santander to Teruel to avoid the bombardments during the Spanish Civil War.

But sadly war is a current matter.

Behind every war there is an ambition, almost always money is the excuse. Money has different appearances depending on the country, many times it is petrol, but it can be gas, diamonds or anything valuable. It can hide individual interests, like benefiting someone’s business (arm market for example).

Effects of war last for years and even decades (remember Hiroshima) and the most affected are the weakest, population who don’t benefit from their country richness because it is always in hands of a few.

From every point of view war is a human shame.

I’ve posted a video of Miguel Gila’s view of the war, just to play this topic down. I hope you enjoy it.

Are You a TV Series Fan?

2007-10-24T21:41:00.004+02:00

Have you ever really enjoyed a TV Series? I never had
untill I discovered Friends.

Why do I like it so much? I think it's because of its different characters, I can't choose my favourite one, I like all of them.

I always laugh at its acute dialogues, and its incredible situations, even when I've seen the episode for more than 3 or 4 times.

Going back to the post question, I've just seen Phoebe's Blog, what a coincidence, ¿Don't you think so Phoebe? So I imagine Phoebe's favourite TV Series is "Friends", but what about you?? Please vote and we'll know what is our class favourite TV series! You have the poll on the right hand of the blog.

Kia Ora

2007-10-23T19:50:00.000+02:00

Maybe you'll think ¿what a strange way to start a blog?

Kia Ora is a good wish, it means "be lucky", and also it is used to say "hello" and "goodbye".

The next question may be "why aotearoa", well, aotearoa means "the land of the long white cloud" in maori language, but we use to call it New Zealand.

New Zealand is my paradise on hearth, whenever I feel sad or worried I remember its landscapes, its pepole and it makes me feel better.

So I want to give you a little piece of this great land, I expect it makes you feel good also.

Kia Ora!