Christmas time

Christmas time has always been special to me. When I was a little girl, it meant being on holiday, having time to play and thinking hard about what to say and what to ask for in my letter to the Three Wise Men (or the Magi) and waiting with expectation for January, 6th.

Today, "some years" later, it means family and friends, getting together around a table full of delicious dishes, going to the cinema, shopping for presents ... It also means rushing around to get things done, because there are so many things to be done at Christmas!

However, everything I do, I do it with pleasure and, although I might feel stressed now and then, there's always affection and dedicated thinking to all people involved. From the moment I buy Christmas cards and send them, to the moment I go for a last minute shopping afternoon, there's always this warm feeling inside.

Something that has remained the same throughout the years is the feeling of expectation for the Magi's presents on January 6th. I might sound silly, but when everything is ready for the children and I finally go to bed, I always spend some time wondering about what I'll find on my shoes when I wake up in the morning ...

What's Christmas for you? Have your say!

Halloween is approaching ... or is it Castanyada for you?

Halloween has become a traditional celebration here in our country, too. People wear costumes and have fancy dress parties or they have a horror film marathon, children go trick or treating to their neighbours' house, some families have pumpkin cake, there are popular parties in different cities, towns and villages... Even Port Aventura organizes a Halloween weekend!!

Is this "Americanization" good or bad? Are we betraying our own culture or are we just making it more diverse, and so, richer? Which of the two celebrations do you prefer at heart? Can you share with us why?

Are you a bookworm or a movie-lover?

Hello everybody!

It's really hard for me to decide what I prefer, a good book or a good movie, because to me both are equally pleasurable; both are means for an author to tell a story or for you as a reader/viewer to imagine worlds different to your own (sometimes, though, they are not so different!).

Just as I like reading books and I treasure them in my little library, I also love films and I have all of them stored in albums to re-watch on occassion. Just as I re-read some of my books. There are books, as there are films, that will never disappoint you because they hold within a new detail that you hadn't noticed before. I even treat myself with little marathons, sometimes!!

My favourites? Well, I'm a sort of 'all-terrain' reader/viewer as I like different genres. Perhaps my favourites are thrillers, but I also like comedies, historical films or books, fantasy and science fiction. Lately I don't have much time to watch films, but I can't go to sleep if I don't read a few pages at least, no matter how tired I feel.

What about you? Are you a bookworm or a movie-lover?

Have your say!!

School Life Revisited

Hi everyone!

I'm just posting the link to the blog you contributed to with Marc so that you can access to all your posts from the same place.

http://viewsonschoollife.blogspot.com.es/

Thanks for your contributions!

Wild animals vs pets - animal rights?

Many people campaign for animal rights, usually wild animals which may become an endangered species. This is obviously a good thing because the disappearance of a species has an enormous effect on the environment. Have you ever considered what would happen if, for example, bees disappeared from our planet?

But I often wonder about what we do for our pets. Are they less important than other animals, maybe? What makes us decide to have a pet, taking care of him or comforting ourselves? Is it fair to have them in a flat? Living in a city? Are we being a bit selfish? In any case, what are our priorities?

What do you think? Are you a pet lover, ready to defend their rights? Have your say!!

Let's go digital ... or not?

We are living in an age where absolutely everything is or can be done digitally. Our world has become a digital world: television channels, mobile phones, books, music, films ... they are all digital.

This is not a problem in itself as digital gadgets make life more comfortable for us in many ways. The problem is the use we make of them or how "hooked" we are, for example, with facebook or whatsapp. I think whatsapp is a great invention which allows you to communicate easily and fast; it replaces a telephone call and serves a purpose. However some people spend hours and hours with this app. They make groups, they send photographs, jokes, proverbs, links... It is not only communication here, but also a way of spending time, of getting "entertainment". And that's where I get doubts.

What do you think? Have your say!!