Wordle

Descubrí un nuevo sitio web: www.wordle.net. Se puede crear imágenes chéveres como esta (las palabras vinieron de la página de bienvenida aquí):

Halloween II

Se ha dicho mucho sobre Halloween, y la mayor parte ha sido crítica. Muchos apuntan a su origen pagano y al predominio de símbolos de la muerte, y lo ven como una influencia mala. Una iglesia cerca de mi casa ofrece un "Alternafest" (fiesta alternativa) para atraer a los niños a actividades más edificantes. Otros critican la énfasis que se pone en la abundancia de dulces, ni nutritivos ni buenos para los dientes. Y sin duda, puede haber peligros con niños vagando por los barrios pidiendo sorpresas. Pero lo veo por los ojos de mis chicos, quienes tienen ganas de celebrar el día durante semanas y aún meses antes del evento. Simplemente, a los niños les encanta disfrazarse como cualquier personaje. No tiene que ser una fantasma o una bruja — más frecuentemente es un superhéroe o una princesa. Incluso los dulces no son tan importantes como los disfraces. Desde mi punto de vista, Halloween es una celebración de la imaginación, y creo que el mundo necesita mucho más de ella, no solo para fantasías pero también para la creatividad que necesitamos para resolver nuestros problemas, y para entender las circunstancias con las que otras personas tienen que lidiar. ¿Podría el diablo usar la fiesta para propósitos malevolentes? — creo que sí. Pero la imaginación es un don de Dios, y nos conviene celebrarlo de vez en cuando. El mundo sería un lugar mejor si los adultos pudieran realizar el entusiasmo y la imaginación que nos muestran los niños durante Halloween.

Halloween

      Who don't know Halloween day? However, this was unknown by the most people only seven years ago in Spain. I started seeing as teachers for 3-5 ages made American parties that they called Halloween. At the begining it was restricted at schools. Now it is spread out everywhere as occasion to make parties at bars, disco bars and huge parties. I don't feel interested in this event but I am glad that people are happy by some way. But in my opinion, the statement from Toledo archbishop, Braulio Rodriguez, against Halloween are an anachronism. He says: Halloween is a party bad taste, it is a pagan celebration in which there is no good feelings and where people are only scared and afraid. it seems they want to regulate moral of people on XXI century. What have to do the church on a simple party? Are they bothered to lose protagonism on first of November, day of died?

Eye Exam VII

My grandmother’s right eye surgery was last Tuesday. The surgery finished without any complications. Today we visited the ophthalmologist for a follow-up appointment, in which we experienced the same problems of all previous visits: a small room packed with patients and long hours.

Fortunately, my grandmother’s eyes are healing well. Right now, her vision is 20/50 in her right eye and 20/20 in her left eye. These are great stats for an 88-year-old lady. In a month, she will have another appointment with the ophthalmologist. If everything is right, the ophthalmologist will prescribe new eyeglasses. The old pair has more than fifteen years. 

I will miss the ophthalmologist’s annoying assistants, and the wasted hours that we spent there. It seems that I am suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Hahaha!

To be continued.

Wonder

by R.J.Palacio

I had never read a book like this, "Wonder", what a beautiful word. A beautiful word the author uses to describe us a wonderful person, with a brilliant mind and a big heart inside his chest. R.J.Palacio, tells us the story of a little boy, August, who has not had an easy life and childhood from his birth due to his deformed face.

August is a boy who has always been living surrounded and overprotected by his loving family due to his physical problems. He was born with several deformities on his face as a consequence of genetic problems. He has suffered twenty seven surgeries but, in spite of that, August is not happy with his physical appearance and feels the looks of the people wherever he goes.

August has been home-schooled by his mother, but his parents decide that he has to start going to school. At the beginning, he feels kind of terrified and does not want to go but his family finally convince him, in spite of his fears.

The course starts and he can feel both sides of friendship. On the one hand the real friendship of Jack and Summer who help him from the very beginning and, on the other hand, a fake friendship leaded by Julian, who has two faces, a good one to the teachers and a cruel one while talking to August in front of the other kids.

Time goes by, and August character, courage, kindness, and brightness makes him gain the respect of  all his classmates and teachers. These traits joined to all love he has breathed in his life makes him a special person, a wonderful person who everybody wants to know, who everybody wants to be with.

As a way of reflection, I would like to tell you that I wish I had the opportunity to meet  August too. I am sure that we would be good friends. While I was going through this unputdownable book,  I could feel on my own how he felt and rivers of tears run down my cheeks. This book makes me think that there are lots of Augusts in the world, very close to us, and we should not miss out on the opportunity to help them to feel ordinary and happy, the only thing we have to do is to be kinder than is necessary.

Vicent

Mistakes

Carrying so many things in my mind sometimes provokes that I commit serious mistakes. One of those mistakes happened last week.

For my profession, I shall take continuing education courses periodically. Last year, I completed some of those courses online. After finishing each online course, I must print a certificate and send it to the state board. But now the board doesn’t have the certificates of four courses; and, worst of all, I don’t find copies of them in my records. I have been all weekend scratching my head thinking about where I have copies of those certificates.

Long story short, next week I need to take additional courses to renew my professional license. That means spending more than a hundred dollars plus gas and two days of my busy life.

Lesson learned: I must keep track of my professional records and declutter my mind from insignificant things.

Inmigration

      No doubt, Europeans have a real problem: immigration. Death doesn't scare them, they cross the sea, they are man, women, some pregnant, and carry their children. Nothing and no one can stop them, they escape from hunger or war, every option is better than to remain in their countries, what things are they lost trying it? They come in without passport, without any paper. They can't be sent back, no countries that admit people without passport. Finally they remain in Europe in irregular way. If they are old less than 18, will receive health assistance, clothes and education. Authorities need make radiography their wrists to know their real ages. European governments don't know to do. This is a human drama and an important cost economic. Are we victims or guilty? where is the solution?

No digas todo lo que piensas

Viendo atrás al día, me doy cuenta de que hubo casos en los que hice conclusiones incorrectas sobre otras personas. Por ejemplo, habíamos esperado por unas pocas semanas que nos incluiera un colega en una reunión con un cliente, para que pudiéramos presentarle un trabajo que hemos realizado, cuando recibí un correo electrónico que puso la agenda de la reunión, una agenda que no nos incluyó. Mi primera reacción fue que pensar que nos ha olvidado, o nos ha omitado a propósito. Pero decidí a esperar un rato y ver si nos enviara otro mensaje. Más tarde, otro colega se puso en contacto conmigo y me preguntó qué pasaba con la reunión. No habiendo escuchado nada más de la primera persona, estábamos imaginando varias explicaciones por su mal comportamiento. Decidí a ponerme en contacto con él de nuevo. Afortunadamente, no impliqué ningún mal comportamiento por su parte, porque, como salió, el cliente con el que queríamos hablar no estaba disponible para la reunión y tendríamos que hablar con él otro día. ¡Uf! Esto podía haber sido una vergüenza, si le había acusado de maltratarnos cuando, de hecho, consideraba nuestros intereses todo el tiempo. Pues, me alegro de que tuve la paciencia y la sabiduría para guardar mis pensamientos a mí mismo y no comunicarlos a este buen colega.

Some Children ...

Yesterday, before going to my job, I was watching the news. I love watching the news before going out from my home. But there was a news that it surprised me a lot. A teenager ( 16 years old) had killed his mother. I wonder how someone can do this kind of act. He had killed her mother with a knife. I wonder how a child can do this. I can't understand it. All mothers would give their lives for their children. And all father would do the same. It's horrible. But it is still horrible what he did it after killing his mother. He wrote a message to his friends with this text: "Today you will watching me in the news or in the TV, I have killed my mother"
This children was adopted, and probably all his life will have been full of love and good things. The problem is that his parents were divorced. But both were with him.  After his first message to his friends, he called to his father to tell him the news.
I think, this person should be in prisión all his life. He had all that he needed. The only problema is that his parents were divorced, but he isn't the only guy who his parents are divorced.
Terrible news.

Una revisión

Acabo de salir de una reunión en la que hablamos de un nuevo proyecto y sus riesgos. Hay varios. El proyecto es un actualización de una central eléctrica principalmente para eliminar asuntos de obsolescencia. Surgieron varias preguntas sobre la mejor estrategia de realizar la actualización. Para un aspecto, identificamos tres opciones, y necesitaremos la ayuda del equipo comercial y del cliente para escoger una.

El propósito de la reunión fue revisar los requisitos y decidir si tuviéramos suficiente claridad para proceder. La respuesta fue no. Por eso la revisión fue un éxito — identificamos riesgos y decidimos lidiar con ellos — antes de pasara demasiado tiempo y el proyecto pudiera convertirse en un desastre.