Miss universe fail

The comedian Steve Harvey accidentally gave the win to the wrong girl at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant. After misreading his cue cards, Harvey initially announced Miss Colombia as the winner, then had to return to the stage and crown the real winner, Miss Philippines. Once the moment was over, he hastily tweeted this response, in which he misspelled the name of both countries. Personally I think that it was intended to make this contest more popular which lately was quite forgotten. 

White Christmas

Recently we can hear many people complaining that they are missing snow during Christmas, and that the temperatures are more spring then winter. Personally I would like to spend my Christmas holidays in warm beautiful place without snow, rain and wind. I'm glad that the weather is not freezing. Since I'm an adult I don't like snow and winter at all. Unfortunately it never won't be warm in December in Poland. :( 

By the way, Merry Christmas! :)

Country music

I have found this graph and I'm quite shocked that country music is that popular in United States. Of course I know that is always have been very popular but didn't think it is on the top. That's a surprise but on the other hand it is not a surprise, as many of the popsatrs or even latinostars are trying their hands at covering or recording country songs.

Shakira's country performances

Dyslexia, is it that bad?

Some time ago I found an information that Agatha Christie, one of the most successful writers in history - two billion books published in 44 languages had dyslexia. At school she had problems with writing and often got bad marks for essays. Her parents were disappointed and wanted Agatha to leave school early. She stared writing because her older sister said she couldn't do it, and even when she was already a famous crime writer, she sometimes felt embarrassed because she still couldn't spell. I think that in our times dyslexia is considered as a big problem, which in reality is not that bad.  With hard work and discipline everyone is able overcome it! 

Today's teenagers

I think that today's teenagers are very lazy. I am shocked at the poor physical health of them. They say they can't exercise because they have to study. However, in my opinion "studying" is just an excuse to avoid doing anything. It is shocking that polish teenagers are on one of the top places in obesity. I know that our government was trying to improve some changes in a meals the schools provide to the students, but personally I think parents should me more involved in the fight against their children's obesity. Where are those times when all the kids where playing with each other outside?

Graffiti

Everywhere you go, you see walls covered in stupid names and swear words. I don't know anyone who thinks it is attractive. I would say that most of them are horrible. It is so sad that every city is full of those ugly paintings. I know, there are some nice paintings, but mostly we can find them on the walls which were permitted to be pinted. For me graffiti is not acceptable and it should be stopped in some way and those who paint the walls illegally should be found and punished. 

Youtube better then television

As many of you have noticed, today's  television programs have really low content quality. Many young people prefer watching YouTube, where we can choose what we want to watch. There are a lot of good youtubers, not only in English but and also in Spanish or Polish. I'm subscribed to a lot of channels in those languages. One of the interesting facts is that many of the youtubers become stars with a large number of fans. Personally, I think that YouTube is one of the best places in the Internet. I can say that I don't watch TV anymore. And you? Do you still enjoy watching TV?

The Latin Explosion

There will be a great documentary on HBO called The Latin Explosion a New America about some Latino superstars like Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and many many more, and of course about the normal Latin people and Latin society in the United States. For now the most interesting fact is that in 1950 every 50 US citizen was Latin, and in 2050 it will be 1 of 3. For those who study Spanish that's the great news. I will try to post it here when it will be available, everyone will be able to watch it as it will be in English. Here you can see the trailers. :)

                             

Brands which are back in Poland

I think that as we are living in times when many of us are missing the old times. There are more and more brands which are back on the market here in Poland, reminding us the past times.Those brands which were very popular in the 90's and for some reasons ended their existence (in Poland) are getting back. There are some big returns, like famous in the whole world Burger King or Pringels (chips) or the polish brands like Frugo (fruit drinks) or EB (beer). I am convinced that every of those brand have good selling rates, as the people like buying products which are associated with their childhood or adolescent era. Even more if the commercials are the same like 20 years ago, of course with better quality (HD).

Are Apple products really worth it?

Apple products are very expensive, especially here in Poland,  but the quality of Apple products we can define as premium. Personally I think that when you buy something by collecting money by your own hard work, you get more satisfied with that thing. In our childhood, we used to collect money to buy our favorite toy and only that thing gave us even more joy and satisfaction than we could ever get. Apple shares the same thought. This is a good move as they deliver what they promise: a premium quality products, so they are really worth it. Even older or secondhand Apple devices are worth their prices, they no only look  better or are made from better components then different devices from the rest of the companies but they work way better. Apple keep his pricing more than the rest of the companies. Only this thing had let them to sell more than 700 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Spellbinder

Do you remember the series called Spellbinder (in polish Dwa światy)? It is a fantasy teen drama/science fiction series produced by Film Australia and Telewizja Polska. I used to watch it as a child, but I didn't know that it was co produced by polish television. When I realized that I was quite surprised. The scenes in "modern world" were shot in Australia, and the scenes in "medieval world" were shot in Poland. Of course the language of the series in English. I think most of you remember the Spellbinder, it was really popular. :) 

Beverly Hills, 90210

This is the other series I remember from my childchood. It was one of the most popular series of the end of 90's and of the beginnings of 00's in Poland. I know that there is a new version, but I don't think that it is as good as the original. The series chronicled the lives of group of friends living in the upscale and star-studded community of Beverly Hills, California as they navigated high school to collage, and subsequently into the adult world. Should I watch in again? I saw it last time like 15 years ago. It would be a great opportunity to improve English and be back in those "happy kid times" :). 

Keeping up appearances

Do you remember this sitcom which was so famous back in the 90’s? I used to love it, and I’m sure I’ll watch it again soon. I think it's a good way to improve English and at the same time it’ll be like a return to childhood. Those of You who didn't see this series I highly recommend it. The main character is Hyacinth who will do everything for keeping up appearances, but always is happening something which makes her look funny. Also there are more hilarious characters like Hyacinth’s sisters, her neighbor or even her husband. :)

 

The Returned

I just have stared watching an American series called The Returned. It's a supernatural drama, with some scary moments. The series follows residents in a small town whose lives are disrupted when people who have been dead for many years begin reappearing. The first season runs for ten episodes. It is filmed in Squamish, British Columbia, so there are a lot of beautiful views. I’m impressed with this series, it's really engrossing. The fact that the people who died are back is interesting and as I said a little bit shocking. Every chapter presents the story of different person, but also they are showing us the development of the previous stories as all the protagonists live in the same small city. I highly recommend you this series, you will love it. 

Here's the trailer :) 

Lip sync fails

I just have found the video of 80s’ European singer pop star Sandra singing at Sopot Festival in 2008. I saw it back in 2008 but I forgot about this. I was impressed with her singing, and I couldn't understand how it’s possible for 50 years old woman to sing as 20 years old girl. Of course it was lip synced, and in a bad way. It could be better record new “actual” versions of her songs, if she can't sing. I don't know what is better: lip syncing, singing live even horrible or just not doing performances. The others 80s’ singers who preformed this day were singing live without using playback as did Sandra. Nevertheless people was enjoying her performance… 

Here's her show :) 

Ester – cold as (almost) always

I’m really mad at the weather this year. It’s spring, and we have winter outdoors. Easter is that holiday, in which it should be warmer… Why during all holidays, like Christmas, New Year’s Eve, even Ester we have to stay most of the time in our houses, because of low temperatures, wind and rain? I hate the climate we live in. I hate when after sleeping 8 or 9  hours I feel bad with no interest to do something. That’s the reason I’ll leave Poland one day.

All the same I wish You happy Easter! 

Nice Miami mansion

Some time ago, I read that Colombian singer Shakira put her Miami Beach, Florida mansion back on the market for $13 million, and it’s 2 million less than the “original” price from 2011 and 2013. What is interesting in the fact that she bought this mansion in 2001 for $3.38 million, so it’s $10 million more expensive.  It’s the third time Shakira has attempted to sell her Miami’s house, which boasts six bedrooms, nine baths, an edge pool, and some celebrity neighbours, including Matt Damon, Cher and Ricky Martin. The mansion has 8,355 sqft and was built in 1951.  

The house is awesome, If I were she I would save it for me. As she don’t need the money, it’s unnecessary selling it.

Miami

Many times I think that it will be great to spend some time in Miami, as we can consider that this city is bilingual, where we can improve Spanish and English. Of course those two languages spoken in south Florida, are not the “standard ones”, but there are many people, like me who like it. Miami is almost like a small Latin America, where you can see a little bit of culture of Cubans, Colombians, Mexicans etc. The most important thing is safety, as many cities of Latin America are rather dangerous, and in Miami is easier to live in prosperity. The best thing of south Florida for me is the weather, which is almost Caribbean weather, and I like the vegetation too. To summarize the are 3 most important things about Miami I love: languages – Spanish and English, Latin culture and the weather. It’s a pity that we Poles need a visa to get there, and to stay there for living is really difficult. I hope to get the chance to visit Miami in the near future. J 

Tea with lemon

A few days ago, when I was ill, I was watching TV, and they said that drinking a tea with lemon is unhealthy. It can cause Alzheimer when you drink a lot of tea with lemon. As many of us, feeling bad, with intentions to feel better I drunk numerous number of cup of tea with lemon, and I was shocked, because I was sure that it is a good way to recover. Also they said that it can cause allergy because of chemical substances, which are needed to transport lemons and the others citrus from South America for example. Since then, I don’t use lemon despite I like them a lot. To eat healthy citrus we need to go to the place they grow.

Education – key to country without violence

As many of you know in Latin America there are a lot of violence, because of drug trade, political situation, guerillas and many more things. The perfect example of all those stuff is Colombia, which is now on the way to end more than 50 years civil war. But one of the most important factors of the situation of Colombia is a lack of education. Many of members of guerillas don’t have any kind of education. To avoid a possibility of children entering in guerillas, and give them chance to get out of poverty and escape from violence, Colombian singer Shakira in 1997 in the beginning of her musical career created a foundation called  Fundación Pies Dezcalzos (Barefoot Foundation).  The foundation’s main focus is building schools, nowadays there are 5 schools across Colombia, and they will build more. The organization provides education and meals for more than 4000 children. Pies Dezcalzos schools are not only schools, they are like a center for meeting and community development around education, coexistence and respect. I believe that education is a key to country without violence, if more children attend to school there are less possibility they will be on “the bad way” in the future. I hope Colombia, and the others Latin American countries will be considered as safe places without violence. J

Barefoot Foundation website: http://www.fundacionpiesdescalzos.com/en/ 

Pies Descalzos school in Cartagena, Colombia 

Chilaquiles - Mexican recipe

Easy, authentic Mexican recipe that my Mexican friends taught me. It's a casserole of tortilla chips mixed with eggs and salsa, and topped with cheese. Serve with refried beans.

What you need:

2 cups oil for frying

1/4 cup chopped onion

corn tortillas, torn into strip

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons salt

tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup shredded Mozarella cheese

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil to 175 degrees C. Carefully stir in the onion and tortilla strips. Fry until tortilla chips are crisp and golden brown. Remove from heat, and drain on paper towels. Drain the skillet, leaving only a thin residue of oil.

Over medium heat, return tortillas to the skillet, and stir in the eggs. Season with salt. Cook and stir until eggs are firm.

Mix Mexican style hot tomato sauce and water into the skillet. Reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Top with cheese. Continue cooking until cheese has melted.

Cooked by me. J

The Queen of Tejano – Selena

I want to tell something about Selena Quintanilla, who was a very promising singer of tejano/ latin pop music. She was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, her parents are Americans with Mexican descent. She was singing in Spanish, although her first language was English. It was an idea of her father Abraham Quintanilla to sing in Spanish, A.B Quintanilla brother of Selena, member of the band was a main writer and composer of Selena’s songs. In the beginning she was almost unable to make an interview in Spanish, but her father convinced her to learn more the language of her ancestors, because he knew that it wasn’t enough to sing in Spanish, she had to speak it well. In early 90’s she became a superstar in the U.S and Mexico particularly, also she was touring in all Latin America. She was to make a crossover to  “Anglo market” (she recorded only a few English songs preparing her first English-language album) when she was killed at a motel in Corpus Cristi, Texas on March 31, 1995 by her friend and president of her fan club Yolanda Saldivar at the age of 23. This March 31 is 20^th anniversary of her death. Her life was very interesting, if you want to know something more find more information on the Internet or watch a movie based on her life “Selena” where Jennifer Lopez plays main role. I strongly recommend this movie.

Here’s her last recorded concert, about one month after her death, which took place in Houston, Texas. She sang her hits and some of the classics like Donna Summer or Tina Turner. :D

And here one of her songs prepared for the English album.

"Is you OK? Is you good? Cause I want to know."

This is signature phrase of GloZell, an American comedian and YouTube personality. She was born July 30, 1962, currently living in Los Angeles, California. She is known as one of the funniest youtubers, and I’d like to share with you one of her videos. But after that is good to say something about her. Can say that she’s YouTube star. Many of her videos may seem a little bit stupid, but I always laugh, even I don’t understand everything what she say. She established her YouTube channel in 2008, with video interviews, comedy about her life and song parodies. In August 2014, the channel had accumulated more than three million subscribers and more than 500 million total views. Six of her individual videos had each been viewed more than 10 million times, such as her "My Push up Bra will help me get my man" video (23 million views) and her cinnamon challenge video (40 million views). She gained wide notice when her vlog about meeting Elijah Wood was mentioned by the actor during a 2011 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In 2012, she appeared in the web series Dr. Fubalous. In January 2015 GloZell interviewed Barack Obama in a YouTube livestream hosted at The White House. Here is my favorite GloZell’s video, which is named HOT PEPPER CHALLENGE

  

University almost on the Beach

I chose Almeria, Spain for my Erasmus and I need to say it was good decision. The city was perfect, the people was perfect, but… the university not. The buildings were ok, modern and comfortable, the University of Almeria is located near the sea side and it looks so beautiful , but the level of education didn't satisfy me, there was a big organizational chaos, the members of my working groups on lessons were quite rude. For many people who didn’t spoke Spanish it was said at the beginning that classes are conducted in English, but they weren’t. I didn’t have problem with that but, I think it was not fair for all the people  who thought it was enough to speak English. At the university I didn’t  learned nothing new. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to locate the university in this place, you feel more like on holiday there. 

Spanish Mini Hollywood (Almeria province)

The Desert of Tabernas is Europe's only desert it is arid and resembles the type of landscape found in Arizona or Colorado in the USA, many films mostly westerns were made there as was an episode of Dr Who, There is a western town that was used as a film set called Fort Bravo which has facilities such as wooden. I think that this is the kind of place that you have never thought it exists in Europe. Not only the Desert of Tabernas is the place where many movies had been filmed, all the Almeria province is known as Mini Hollywood. There are hundreds of movies filmed there. The most popular are: Asterix at the Olympic Games, Cleopatra, King of Kings, Lawrence of Arabia and many more. After my residence in Almeria I had no idea of that. I was so surprised when they told me about that. Look at this photos. :)

Other recommendation

Today I want to recommend all of you the other serial produced by United States-based television network Telemundo Studios, Miami in co-production by Chile-based television network TVN. It’s called Dueños del paraíso (Masters of Paradise). The serial is inspired by the drug trade of Miami in the 1980s.

Masters of Paradise tells the story of Anastasia Cardona (Kate del Castillo), a woman without any innocence, with a life marked by violence and poverty, betrayed in the depths of his being and whose ambition leads her to use drug trafficking as a means to become one of the most powerful women of those times.

Traumatized by the events of a life difficult and driven to avenge the betrayal of a husband with that thought all their dreams, Anastasia will find the illicit business of her husband the wealth you have always dreamed. Their thirst for power will take her to not respect any limits when choosing their victims. Ready to everything to defeat their enemies, Anastasia will meet vexations of betrayal and the impossibility of living the true love.

The premiere of the serial was on January 13, and I have to say that I’m impressed. Everything, like houses, bars, cars, clothes of the characters is perfectly prepared, and looks like in the ’80. I think it will be high budget, and I’m sure it will have good ratings also.

Here’ s the trailer in English. Enjoy. You can watch the serial on telemundo.com, with English subtitles.