DITCH YOUR PHONE AND START READING!

The amazing benefits of reading

Good morning my fellow bloggers,

I know it has been a long time since I last wrote something, but I have been busy and, let’s just say…life happened! However, although busy, I was able to dedicate some of my spare time to reading. Some of the stuff I read was so inspiring that it got me thinking, so I have decided to dedicate one full post to the reading experience. Not sure what your opinion is on this, but books can definitely enrich both mind and soul.

In fact, recently, I got so hooked on reading that I’m in the process of finish reading four books this month: one in Spanish, two in Italian and, only today I finished one in English. To me, reading is a free ticket to new, wonderful worlds where your imagination can ride wildly whilst giving you the opportunity to be creative. You are free to use your imagination when flipping through the pages and it helps you reflect. I have read on the “Healthline” website (https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-reading-books) that reading, apart from the fact that it makes you naturally more knowledgeable, can be used as a form of relaxation. Sometimes, I also think of it as a sort of meditation technique, don’t you agree?  Reading is culture – it stimulates your sense of curiosity and can elevate your speaking.

And if you are planning to learn or improve a foreign language (like I am), reading in a foreign language can certainly help expand your vocabulary whilst improving your grammar.

One of the books I’m currently reading is called “Pariremos con placer” by Casilda Rodrigañez and it is about the physiology of the uterus and its key role in female sexuality; Sorry, the book is in Spanish and as there isn’t a translated version of it, I can alternatively recommend you “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth” by Ina May Gaskin which has got a similar content.

Not sure about you, but I’m really into spirituality and if you are into this topic as well another book I recommend is “La vita che sei” by Barbara Pozzo. It highlights the importance of living with joy and our connection with the Universe and our soul. Same here, no English translation, but I can recommend you a book with the same or similar content: “Good vibes, good life” by Vex King. The third book is the Italian version of “Supernatural” by Joe Dispenza (same title in English) and talks about being “supernatural” through our conscious thoughts and actions.

Finally, ” Big magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert is about living life with positivity and finding the magic in it, this is achievable by letting our conscience look for the magic in the small things in our everyday life. This last book gives emphasis on creativity and explains how we can use it in every single moment. Very Inspiring!  As I am a kind of spiritual person, connected to my soul and the Universe, I highly recommend them because they take you away from the reality.

Thus, my fellow bloggers let’s set time aside to read. I personally think children should be more encouraged to do so. Parents should be stricter about it instead of allowing their kids to waste all their time on phones and video games. Technology should not be used or “abused” at such an early stage in children’s life because it damages their brains and makes them more passive.

What are you currently reading? Anything interesting? Feel free to share with me your favorite books and any highlights of your reading experience. Sharing is caring 🙂

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Formal vs Informal

Hello everybody!

Today I got to think about personal pronouns and how they are used differently according to the language you speak. I’ll clarify. I’m referring in particular to the personal pronouns (You-second person singular and plural/he/she) that we use in both formal and informal contexts. In our daily conversations using the correct form is important because it can denote intimacy, distance or higher/lower social rank. I speak four other languages, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Norwegian, and I’d like to explain very briefly below the use of these pronouns in formal vs informal situations.

In Italian, we use the pronoun lei (third person singular) in formal situations and we use it with people we don’t know, such as authorities or high-level professionals. In a conversation with friends and family, we use tu (you, second person singular) instead.

In Spanish, they use usted (you) as a formal pronoun. I’ve lived seven years in Spain and if you have ever had the chance to get to know Spanish people or live in their wonderful country you’ll have perhaps noticed how friendly these people are. In fact, even if the formal pronoun should have been used in formal situations, using an informal pronoun such tú (you) is still okay. But I did meet people, such as professors, who still like to use the formal way.

Instead, in some countries of Latin America, they still use usted even in informal instances or vos (you) from voseo (this is the use of the pronouns vos in place of tú or vosotros in combination with the verb conjugated in the 2nd person plural) .

In Norway, du (you) is always used no matter the context or social rank, like in English today. The form de is a very old form which is not used anymore, as thee in English.

In Portuguese, the general rule is the same as in Spanish : tu (you) for informal situations, você (you) for formal situations. But in Brasil they always use the formal way você/vocês (you-second person singular and plural) for both formal and informal situations. 

Personally, I like to use the informal way as in Norwegian and in English, I feel comfortable with it because I think that giving importance to social rank or expressing distance is not necessary.  Respect should not be defined by grammar or by the use of formal pronouns. We can respect someone simply by using the right words.

How amazing are languages? And how hard is it to learn and remember all those rules?

What do you prefer to use: formal or informal way? What do you think?

I would love to read your opinions.  

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You have to read this!

Hello everyone!

Still in lockdown? We still are here in Norway 😦 … There are a lot of things we can do while we are at home… but the one thing I definitely adore is to read a nice book… do you agree?

Lately I have been reading books about the philosophy of life which makes you see things in a more rational and positive point of view…and let me tell you it helps a lot, especially in this dark period. But the book I would like to talk to you about is something completely different and it tells the story of a woman, with three children and of all the responsibilities she has to deal with for her family. Throughout the story, which is written in the form of a diary, we are witnesses of her attempt to have or create a moment of intimacy with her husband… but in vain. It is a realistic book told through funny expressions, thoughts and words and what I liked most is her spontaneity to tell the events and her way to show her real identity through her thoughts, which are the essence of this story. Her name is Paz and the title of the book is “Mama’ en busca del polvo perdido” (English: Mommy in search of the lost sex) by Jessica Gomez. It is in Spanish, as you see 🙂

Why did I read this book? I also would like to share with you that I am part of a group of Spanish women who believe and fight for our rights where we can speak freely about all sorts of things that revolve around our sexuality or other intimate phases of our life. Well, sometimes the leaders of the groups “Sex community” & “Mis 4 lunas” (My 4 moons), suggest that we do some “homework” such as reading this book.

So here I will report a paragraph to let you have an idea of the book with its translation in English, so you can think of buying it and reading it 😉

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MONDAY,

January 13th.

You ask when did everything start? I wouldn’t know when.

Well, doing a quick review of my memory, going back on the movie of my life, I would take the first break in the moment that, seated on the kitchen table a couple of years ago, I got shocked when I saw the positive pregnancy test of my third child. Or rewinding a bit more, I would stop in the other moment, seven years before when I got paralyzed and speechless for more than half an hour while I was looking at the positive pregnancy test of my middle daughter. That time I was seated on the couch. If I turn back a little more, I can stop the movie in the moment when my oldest son was born, ten years ago, and I see myself there: exhausted but smiling with a little baby in my arms. And a bit before the happiness of a positive pregnancy test, and a bit earlier the moment when Didier and I decided to be parents.

And now that we are at this point, I could go back till the day when we went to live together, to the day when we met each other, to the first time that I got the period or to the exact moment inside of the uterus of my mother where my double X decided to give me functional ovaries.

But let’s not try to look for the guilty.

You ask when did everything start? I suppose that, by virtue of being practical- my mom, that woman able to put lacquer on that carded hair for half an hour, already told me that: ” Daughter, you must be practical”-, I could say that the hecatomb was unleashed eleven days ago. And the thing happened as follows.

It was the 2nd of January. It was a fateful Thursday. Well, in honor of the truth it was a normal Thursday, but I have always wanted to begin a story saying that it was a fateful day because it looks very professional. As I was saying, it was Thursday, the 2nd, and I still had the remains of the New Year’s Eve dinner rolling around the living room table. They were consistent especially in grape seeds that did not stop appearing glued everywhere and pieces of nougat well sucked by someone- nobody knew by whom-; with the feeling of sadness to throw it away but it sucked to eat it and your strategy was to leave them there till the dog could eat them “accidentally” or, in their case, they had their own life and you can throw them away without any remorse.

(…)

Is it nice? I hope you will have the chance to read it in Spanish, who speaks it and maybe in English in a future…

Here I leave the links to buy it if you are interested:

mamá En Busca Del Polvo perdido: Amazon.es: Gómez, Jessica: Libros

Also you can search for Ana Galvez Rodriguez and Laura Solas Fernandez on Facebook and Instagram 🙂 if you want to learn more about the interesting female world 🙂

Ana Gálvez Rodríguez | Facebook

Laura Solas Fernandez | Facebook

Enjoy your reading whichever book you choose, because reading is culture and knowledge.

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PAPARAZZI

Hello everyone!

One year has passed since Covid-19 and still it is ruling over our lives like day one. Allow me to say that we all have reached a point where we no longer have any sort of motivation goals, we live our lives day by day hoping for the best in order to get back to them…

And since it has been a long time I didn’t write on my blog, here I am with this new post:

The other day I had a dinner with some friends and one of the arguments we were talking about was the “paparazzi phenomenon” and while the others were talking, the first thing that came to my mind was: “where does this word come from? I have to analyze It…”.  So the word “paparazzi” reminds me of “papera” (duck) said in a derogatory way and as its sound is annoying and unstoppable we can relate it to the clicks of the cameras. So I told my friends my theory, but then one of them searched for the word in Internet and Mr. Google revealed in an article that this word comes from the last name of an Italian photographer who worked with Federico Fellini, great movie director. So according to the Italian grammar the singular form of the word paparazzo has the plural form paparazzi! Also, I started to read about this and I found out that this word could come from “paparazze” (the clams of the Adriatic coast). They bring the snap of the shells closer to that of the camera shutter. Curious eh?

Another theory says that this word comes from a mix between the words “pappataci” (mosquitos) and “ragazzo” (boy). This last theory was said by the wife of Fellini.

So, there is not an official theory about the origin of this word but I imagine that the most credible one is the one of Mr. Paparazzo, the Italian photographer.

I am happy that now I discovered something new and that I could share it with you guys 🙂

You never end to learn, right? I wish you all a nice week, stay safe and let’s catch up for new curiosities 🙂

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CORONA NEW VOCABULARY

Good morning guys and happy New year again!

Nothing changed since my last article… we are still in a lockdown season that unfortunately seems to never end! I know, it’s not easy for anyone, but keep strong and have faith!

We are not allowed to return to our daily lives, with our routines and other things, but we can take this period as a chance to really value life and what we have, and appreciate the little and simple things of it… what do you think?

My article today talks about how words changed in this period. Did you notice it? With this question I mean that words we heard before, were so positive and good but today, under corona season they have a totally different meaning or power for us.

For example, we knew that a positive person was the most beautiful thing in the world but now staying with a “positive” person is bad because we can be infected.

Also, to keep distance: we Italians are so bad at that because we like human touch and hugs, etc., but now we have to, we don’t have a choice. So, hugs and kisses are bad now. Lately we also use a lot this horrible word: “quarantine”, when we have to isolate ourselves, for example if we travel or have symptoms, which is a good word now because we prevent the worse from spreading. We constantly hear the words “restrictions”, “closed”, “ambulance”, “hospital”, “vaccine”, “infected”, “dead” and many more. These words are our reality today and they cause a lot of stress, depression and anxiety, etc…

This is our new vocabulary today! Sad right?

But along with these set of words I would like to add some that instead are meant to give hope and strength…I know that the words that I am going to share with you are well known, but maybe we can try to better understand them and to NOT take them for granted:

“Home”, “family”, “Earth”, “savings”, “love”, “hugs”, “health” and many more… keep them in mind because they will motivate you in your everyday life.

The most important word now is “Patience”, with this I mean that we must be patient to wait because better days are ahead and accept this situation with a positive mindset. Another great word is Gratitude: we must be grateful for what we have and that we are lucky to be able to see with the help of the social media our friends and family that live far away from us.  

My thoughts and support go to those who lost someone in their family because of this virus or they lost their freelance business because of the lack of money… I am with you! Meanwhile I am grateful to still have a good health, my family, a roof on me and food every day! The rest is just a vice that the new modern society led us to live with and for…

I hope we can go back to a normal life soon but with a better point of view!

Good luck everyone!

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