A complicated Christmas

I'm still too young to think about giving gifts or something massive, my mom does that job. I started to give presents like three years ago, because my mom used to bought a gift and put my name on it, I didn't have to worry about Christmas. But then I started to feel bad because I had a little of money to give presents and I didn't, but all my family has always give me something. In 2010 I didn't buy things, I cooked. First, it's cheaper and is more personal, you invert time on it not just money. But this year I was in classes (wii!) and didn't have much time or money, so I'm still in debt with my boyfriend (he asked for a joystick from the chinese mall, so it's not so expensive). This year he gave me a pair of earings that he made, he's not so good at making manual things so they're a great gift because he put in a lot of effort. I think that kind of gifts are important, just gifts for the necessary people that contains a lot of love. Besides of the cheap that is cooking, you don't have to choose person by person what to give, it's wonderful!

The best part of Christmas to me is receiving presents because I'm a material girl in my material world (?) hahaha, well, really I feel bad when I feel good receiving gifts, it's kind of complicated because I know that's consumerism. That's why I started to cook on Chritmas, this last year I couldn't but the next one I'm sure I will cook again!

At the end, I have contradictory feelings about Christmas gifts, all the consumerism make me feel angry, but having a little space in the year to stop and meet with the family it's the only things that it's worth keeping from this event.

 

 

 

Light green

In Chile is hard to learn and concern about enviroment.

Government doesn´t help too much and most of people are very lazzy about this topic. You must be very self-taught or a great searcher on the internet. Often the town council organise a lot of funny activities, but the enviroment is generally lefted in second place. It could be positive to make a magazine with advices for enviromentally friendly practices, to inform people of the zone, but sadly is easier to invert in funny things but not into important things. In my case, I don´t have recycling habits :c but I always throw garbage in the trash can (it's something).--------->

My mom have a car to got to work, but I always use subway or "micros". I don't ask her too much to go and pick me up in some place 'cause it's an innecesary gasoline spending.

I love biking, but the streets near my home are very dangerous, they're all avenues, so I tried to use mi bike but not so often.

Until now,  I'm in an organization in defense of animals. Not directly environmentalist, but is related in some way. I still haven´t united to an eco-organisation because I don't know anyone near to my contacts, but I'm vegetarian, so I save like 6 lifes in a month or something (vegans save like 14?)

I'd like to introduce recycling at home but my mom is too lazy for those things. It's easier for her just have one trash can and not cultivate anything, so I hope when I have my own house to start recycling. For now, I just can go on subway to everywhere and get fit to start using my bike.

Finally, I think Chile is missing more information channels and campaigns on this issue. Those two desicions could start to change the way people live and transformate how they think about the enviroment.
.

Road tripping

The first time I travelled I was on my mom's womb, so I don't remember it. I've always travelled because I used to live in Chañaral (I was born there too), and all the rest of the family was here, in Santiago. We came every summer to Santiago, and every winter holiday too, but in the winter my mom carried me to the doctor, so that weeks weren't a real holidays.

I don't know if I like to travel because is more like a routine. I still travel every summer, but this time is from Santiago to Chañaral. I think this summer is going to be an exception, 'cause I only have february on holiday so it's a really short time, it doesn't worth to spend an expensive ticket (Chañaral is even further than Valdivia, wow!).

Believe it or not, but my favourite trip is being on a "micro", with empty streets and a window next. I love travelling around the city when it's empty, seeing the building, parks, walking people and thiefs (hahaa that can'te be missed here on Santiago). I'm kind of bored to travel between cities, so being in the same city is a relief for me.

Summary: "Redefining Islam for the 21st century"

Lately, the fight for the rights of Muslim women and their fight for emancipation is widespread in the internet. Different images on Facebook shows this trend. Some rights, basic to non-Muslim people, are great achievements for them, for example, participating in leadership positions or participating in religious rites.
As this struggle has spread beyond the private sphere, has found fierce resistance from more traditional sectors, launching even threats against of Kalsoom Bashir, a very important woman in this fight.

What's new in these movements is their level of organization and ability to unite with other movements. One case  is  the union of religious and nonreligious groups, which have been coordinated to set up protests.

The author of this text attended the new quarterly publication of the Muslim Institute, Critical Called Muslim. In this event she noted that this movement is based on values ​​Corann, and not in a personal criticism. The values ​​they are preaching are "truth, justice, compassion and wisdom - that are Both Qur'anic values ​​and secular." In these movements, there is much dissatisfaction with the lack of understanding of traditional leaders to this protests.
For example, there was a campaign during Christmas, "Christmas4all", where was requested that all celebrate Christmas without religious restrictions. The author remembers that a Muslim friend of her, uploaded a picture to Facebook of his Christmas tree, adorned with ninety-nine names of Allah. Gestures like these demonstrate the value of the critical Muslim movement, and represent the hope of more humility , openness-mind and mutual respect.


Link of the new: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/jan/13/redefining-islam-for-21st-century

It's hard to explain ♪

Music means a lot to me too (just like to the teacher, but this is not a copy of her!).  I discovered English for the music too (hahaha this seems like a copy...). But the way a discovered music is not so decent: my first favourite singer was Britney Separs (yes, I'm not lying...) because my cousin gave to me a cassette of her. I used to dance and listen to tha cassette everyday. Now, of course,I'm a little embarrased of that, but I was just a child, I dind´t know anything of the world :c

 

When I grew up a little, I started to listen to Avril Lavigne and Gorillaz (of ourse I still have those cassettes). The next step was listening to Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit, and untill today I still like a couple of their songs.

 

For a while I used to think I was gothic or something because I used to listen Evanescense (hahaha great memories!). But then I get evolved to Punk style. Now that I'm older and mature, I like a lot of fdifferent music: The Kooks, Ella Fitzgerald, The Cure, Led Zeppelin, The Strokes, Lady Gaga... it depends on my humour, so it's great when you can choose any song and you'll always find something you like!

 

Books, books everywhere

My history about books is very funny. I sued to live with my grandparents in Chañaral. When I was three years old I had a favourite book and I liked it so much that I knew it by heart! Once, an old lady went to our house to visit us, so I asked her to read me the book, when she opened it I started to "read", but she didn´t know that I'd memorized that book. After that, she told everybody in the town (yes, town) that I knew how to read. Of course, some guy came to talk to my grandfather and started to scream at him "She's just a girl, how can you force her to grow up so fast!". Then my grandfather had to hold back his laughter to explain that I just knew the book by heart.

It was a little scandal on my life, but it's wasn`t a obstacle between me and my books. I've always love reading, and I can´t choose one type of books. I like latinamerican books, mythologic books, history booksand of course a couple of romantic books. There are some titles are worth naming: Lord of the rings (♥), Harry Potter (all of them), La tregua, Cien años de soledad, Tengo miedo torero, for example. I also like books of Isabel Allende and a storyteller: Edgard Allan Poe.

I remember reading Allan Poe in school. It was frightening, but at the same time I couldn't stop reading. He's a wonderful storyteller, a very creative man. So here's a song of Soda Stereo, an argentine music gruop that made "Corazón delator" based on "The Tell-Tale Heart", a story of Poe:

Corazón delator - Soda stereo

What a mess!

It's hard to me start writing this text 'cause I don't know well what country I'd like to visit. It's hard to make a desicion about even a kind of country. I'd like to visit the Caribbean ones for their beaches, tanned boys, latin heart and hot blood (?). But also visiting the Nordic countries could be an extreme adventure too, so I'm gonna write about every piece of land I've ever wanted to visit (but only in 150 or 180 words, don't cry!).

Countries like Brazil or Dominican Republic are almost the same to me (speaking of weather of course, please don't comment your critics of begginer sociologist because I know they're socially different!). I think that kind of country are always in summer, in christmas or something. They left an impression of eternal joy, but it could be effects of the weather cause I don't know how much joy is really there.


I don't want to copy the teacher's ideas but... who wouldn't want to visit England!? People look in fashion all the time, is cloudy all the time, there are recitals all the time, they got Liverpool (all the time), what else can I ask for? And their accent... oh, the accent of that people! It's funny and beautiful, a strange mix. Of course my favourite bands are from England (The Kooks, The Beatles, The Killers... wait, all of them start with "the".. maybe England is not so creative after all :/)


Another country I'd like to visit is French Guiana. Think about it: that country is in Latin America, just like us, but they're still under control of France... what the ***! We're not in colony time anymore, but nobody seems to care about French Guiana and what happens inside. All I know they're an "overseas region of France", where only rockets and satellites platforms are french and all the rest is native.


This is a wide and twisted world, so I will never get bored of looking for some new country to visit (if I get the money for that, one day). But just to visit: for much I hate the unequal social conditions in Chile, I think I will never find another country like this, maybe 'cause there's anything in the world like home.